Cipher's Labyrinth
by DanRider007
Summary: Thursdays were always slow days at the Mystery shack. It was unexplainable. And this particular Thursday was the start of an adventure that Dipper and his friends would surely never forget. This is my First piece of writing. I hope you enjoy it! Review if you find any errors so that I may try harder next chapter!
1. Chapter 1: Thursday

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of its characters. They belong to the producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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Thursdays

Thursdays. Thursdays had become one of Dippers favorite days of the week during his stay at the mystery shack with his great uncle, Stanford Pines. Thursdays were always slow. It was unexplainable. But to the pines twins, nothing could be better then not having to deal with the rush of guests wanting to buy the cheap merchandise that the mystery shack gift shop had to offer. On any other day, the shack would be full of tourists from all over the country, snapping pictures of all the pathetic, obviously fake sculptures, gaping in awe at Dipper in his wolf costume, which had been tailored to fit him, since he had hit a small growth-spurt. But on Thursdays there would be little to no visitors at all. And it was this particular Thursday that had been the start of an adventure that Dipper would remember for the rest of his life.

"For the last time Mabel, I'm not gonna put on a stupid wolf costume and chase Waddles around the house," said Dipper with an exasperated sigh. His beloved twin sister, Mabel, had been pestering him about playing with her pet pig all day. And no matter how many times he refused, she had persisted. It was bad enough that Stan forced him to wear it, but his sister as well? This was an outrage! This wolf costume would be the death of him one of these days.

"Even you have to admit it attracts the young girls!" is what his Great Uncle would always say. True as it was, it was still embarrassing for Dipper to be shirtless while a group of girls drooled over him. But more customers means more business. Besides, does it really matter if a whole lot of those customers just want to see the young boy without a shirt on? Dipper had gained a bit of muscle from all the paranormal hunts he had been on. It was not much, but it was enough to attract the attention of quite a few of the lovely females his age that lived in both Gravity Falls and Piedmont. But these girls were out of luck, for he had set his sights on someone else. Someone he had been spending a large amount of time with over the past few years.

"Come on Dipper, It will beat sitting at the cash register drooling over Wendy all day," Mabel said with a cheeky smile. So that's how she decided to play, huh?

Embarrassing her brother has always been one of her personal favorite activities. And when it came to Dipper, there was always something to tease him about. Be it his nerdy books, his video games, or anything else Mabel could think of. And in this instance, it was his former crush. The red haired girl that worked as a cashier at the tourist trap the twins called their summer home. Her name was Wendy Corduroy. She had been working at the mystery shack for the summer, along with Soos the handy man who seemed to be able to fix anything that broke. Soos' handy work was what kept the shack up. Without him, there would be no Mystery Shack. He is vital to the business and though Stan would not admit it, he trusts Soos with anything.

"Mabel, you know more than anyone that I'm completely done with chasing her around," he said, annoyed by the fact that no matter how hard he tried to explain to his sister, she would just not understand that his days of trying to steal the redheads heart were over. Was it too hard to believe that he was done with her? Or was Mabel just too hung up on getting him and Wendy together to see that his romantic interest in her had long since diminished after they had that talk outside of the bunker? Whatever the case, he hoped that Mabel would understand, and stop trying to play matchmaker. It's not her place to meddle with these things. Just because it had worked once with Robbie and Tambry, which was with the help of love god magic, does not mean it will work every time!

"Whatever you say Dipper. Now get over here and put this damned costume on," she said smiling. She knew that he would, in one way or another, be forced to obey her. But as a precaution she had told Soos to wait by the door that lead to the clearing in front of the shack in case dipper tried to escape. It had been made abundantly clear to Dipper that Mabel would not take no for an answer. That was just how she was. It was one of the qualities he appreciated about her, yet hated so very much in this particular situation.

"Mabel. My dear sister. What is going to take for me to not go through with this?" he asked calmly, although in his mind he was screaming for this to be over with so he could visit the local shopping center. He hadn't told Mabel about one of his new friends. Mostly because he would have to lie about the identity of said friend. If his sister found out about his affairs with this individual, it would certainly be the death of him. He had to keep it a secret. From her, his great uncle, Soos, and even the redhead he had once been head over heels in love with, but now only considered a good and close friend. Of course, at the end of each day, he would feel the wave of guilt wash over him for not telling Mabel the truth. But in his mind, it was the right thing to do. When he saw fit, he would come out with the truth to his sister, but for now, it was of utmost importance that the very existence of this friendship remain secret.

"WELL..." she said, dragging out the word, "You could use the allowance you get from grunkle Stan to get me a little treat from the candy shop in town," she said with the cutest face she could make. It had always worked when she wanted something from her dear brother, and now was no different. But of course, this was what Dipper had predicted she'd ask for. So he did not need any persuasion. To escape something like this was worth anything.

"Alright Mabel. If that's what it takes," he said in a manner similar to that of a someone who's favorite soccer team had just lost the final match of the champions league. The money that he was receiving from his great uncle was a very, very small amount. Lower than the salary of anyone else in the shack. Even his sister Mabel! It was outrageous! But using it to buy what his sister wanted was, unfortunate as it may seem, worth it to get out of putting on a wolf costume and chasing a pig through the gift shop, running after it on all fours. He no longer had a crush on Wendy, but such an action being done in front of her would surely lead to some embarrassment that he could never live down. Hell, even his lamby-lamb dance was less embarrassing than...this. He would do anything to keep up a good image in front of his friend.

"Alright Dipper," she said cheerily, "I'll go make a list. If you don't get everything on the list, I will show Wendy baby pictures of you. You know I could actually do something like that," she warned, though the smile on her face showed that she may have been joking. But Mabel almost always had a smile on her face, so it was hard to tell whether or not this was an actual warning. Dipper did not want to find out. All he knew was that if he failed to comply, it may very well be the end of his fragile social connection with redhead at the cashier, who had actually bothered to show up today. It turns out, her family had gone camping without her as an attempt to get her out of the house and off to work.

"College doesn't pay for itself, Wendy!" was what her father would always say. Wendy was 18, and it had occurred to Dipper that the summer of 2014 may very well be the last he would spend with her in person. He had asked for her phone number and Skype account a while ago. To keep in touch. Wendy was one friend he did not want to lose. And even if she left gravity falls to attend college, he would still never forget about her. How could he? After all, she had saved his life on several occasions over the course of the two summers he had spent in Gravity Falls. Paranormal seemed to be something that always followed him around all the time when he was in the woods. He had began making his own journal after his great uncle had confiscated the one he always carried. As long as it may take him, it would be a fun task to re-explore everything and every creature he had encountered, and document it. It filled him with a sense of pride every time he wrote down bits of useful information about the things he had seen. And with friends to accompany him, it had made it even more fulfilling. Even though he could not think of any ways to repay his friends for being there for him every step of the way.

"Dipper, what debt is there when it comes to friends who love and trust one another?" is what Nate would always say. Nate had become extremely close to Dipper. In fact, he may be the only one who knows about the lovely girl that is the object of Dippers affection. He would trust Nate with his life. They were like brothers. Nothing could break their friendship. It was the best thing he could have asked for. No amount of money or material wealth could compare to the value of the beautiful bond he shared with his friends. Wendy, Nate, Thompson, Lee, Tambry and even Robbie. After the whole ordeal involving Wendy, Dipper had never thought that Robbie would be willing to accept him as a friend and part of their little group. At least something good came of Mabel playing matchmaker.

After informing Soos that she had spared Dipper from taking part in her game, and that he could abandon his post at the door, Mabel ran upstairs to the attic which had also served the purpose of being the twins' room for the summer. It was a cozy little room, and the twins would have chosen it over a hotel any day of the week. It was like their home away from home. A retreat from the harshness of the long days they would spend in the woods searching for new things to document. it was stuffy and small, but the twins would not have preferred it any other way.

Dipper had decided that the best thing to do was to get the candy Mabel had requested ( although it may have seemed that Dipper had been forced to get it ) last. First he had decided to visit his friend at the local shopping center, or Gravity Falls Mall as everyone called it. Despite the feeling of emptiness in the actual town, the large mall had been quite full of people. From tourists to local town folk, the mall was always a good place to hang out with friends, shop, eat and watch movies at the cinema.

"Damn it, I'm late," Dipper said to himself, annoyed. He would have gotten to the mall sooner had his great uncle allowed him to use the golf cart. After a certain incident involving ramps however, Stan had revoked Dippers right to use it. He had only walked for half an hour before reaching his destination. And that amount of time to get to the mall was far bigger then he would have liked.

After Walking around for maybe 5 minutes, he spotted the person that he had been wanting to see all day. It was only when he was a few feet away from her that she noticed him. She was chewing on a stick of cherry flavored bubblegum. He knew this because it was her favorite flavor. He had always made a point to keep her stocked up on the stuff. Mostly because he loved the smell of her breath after every stick she chewed on. Cherry was one of his favorites as well.

"Dipper, I'm glad to see you actually made it," She said with a small smile. A smile that made Dippers heart melt like butter on concrete during a hot summer's day. He considered himself lucky to share this bond with the beautiful girl in front of him. Every time he looked at her, his heart beat would quicken and his mind would race with thoughts about her. She was like an angel that had descended from heaven to greet him. Yes, he was a very lucky boy.

"Well I kinda got caught up at the shack. You know how Mabel is sometimes. And Stan wouldn't let me use the golf cart to get here, so I had to walk all the way," said Dipper, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Nervousness was something he had always felt around her. He tried his best to hide it. Yes may love her, but it would be detrimental to the beautiful friendship that had developed between the two, should she find out about his real feelings for her.

"It's all right Dipper. What's important is that you actually made it. Now come with me, I have two tickets to that horror movie you've been wanting to see for a while now," she said getting ever so closer to him. There it was. The smell of cherries.

"Really?! No way! That's amazing Pacifica!" Said Dipper with joy. Ever since the announcement had been made that a reboot of The Grudge was going to be produced, he had been extremely excited to see it. It was one of his all-time favorite movies. Nothing could compare to classic Japanese horror. No matter how old he gets, The Grudge will always hold a special place in his heart as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Some may disagree with him, but that is how he felt. Nothing could change his mind about it.

"Yes way! I know how much you love this movie, so I thought about doing something nice for you" she replied with a small yet ever so evident blush tinting her cheeks. She tried her best to hide it. She did not want Dipper to know how she felt for him. She felt bad about not telling him the truth about her. About not telling him how cute he looks when he gets flustered. About not telling him how adorable he sounds and how his beautiful brown eyes freeze her in place and melt her heart every time she gazes into them. No. She had to keep it a secret. Something like this would end the friendship that they had spent the last two years building. Both were oblivious to the others harbored affection, and neither thought the idea of coming out with it was a good one at the moment. Right now, all they could do was wait.

"Well I appreciate it Paz, I really do. I just hope there's some way I could make it up to you," he said. As if he needed another reason to like her even more, she had gotten tickets to his favorite movie. It seemed like every time they met, one would do something for the other. A week before, She had gotten him a poster of one his favorite bands, Nirvana. A few days after that, he had bought her a new necklace that she had decided to wear everyday. It was a simple chain that had a pendant in the shape of the letter "P". And now, she was doing this for him.

"what is there to make up for when it comes to your dear friends, Dipper?" she asked rhetorically with a smile plastered on her beautiful pink lips. Lips that Dipper had dreamed of kissing. He would make it up to her. One way or another, he would do something nice for her. In time, he may muster up the courage to be honest with the blonde angel about his undying love for her. But for now, friendship was the greatest thing he could ask for.

Unbeknownst to him, she was having similar thoughts. They were the perfect match. It's true when they say that opposites attract. Oh so very true. He was the awkward nerdy boy who loved books. She was the popular girl with blonde hair. But they had more in common then they really thought. Yet, the very sight of them together looked out of place. Her in designer clothes, and Dipper in his simple black jeans, white t-shirt and sneakers. He had gotten rid of the vest years ago.

"You need to upgrade your wardrobe dipper," is what his mother always said to him. And so he did just as he was told.

Ever since the night at the Northwest manor, he and Pacifica had become close friends. That friendship had developed over the course of two years. To any ordinary person, it just looked like two close friends. But to Mabel, who had been in disguise sitting on one of the benches, she could see that it had been much more than a simple friendship. She would not call herself the best matchmaker for no reason. It was as if she had some sort of sixth sense. She could see the affection shared between any two individuals. Everyone is born with a natural talent. Something they can't help but be good at. And for Mabel, that was reading people.

Yes, Mabel had been fully aware of Dipper's affairs with the young Northwest girl. Ever since Mabel had followed him to one of his planned meetings earlier that summer, she had discovered that he and Pacifica were doing things together in secret. Of course, Mabel had felt slightly betrayed that Dipper had not told her of these meetings with the heiress. But her desire to see the outcome of this relationship pushed all of those thoughts out the window. She had discovered earlier on, after eavesdropping on one of their conversations, that Dipper had been seeing Pacifica secretly for two years. Two years Dipper had been hiding this! Mabel should have called him out for it. But the connection that she had seen shared between her brother and her ex-enemy had prevented her from doing so.

In her mind, she had understood why Dipper had decided to hide the fact that he was seeing the Northwest beauty. She herself knew that no one in the shack would approve of such a deadly affair. To befriend a Northwest? Outrageous! And yet, here Dipper was, escorting Pacifica into one of the theaters, with smile similar to that of a man who had just won an Olympic gold medal on his face. It was clear to Mabel that they had shared a strong connection with each other after the incident with the ghost at the Northwest ball during the summer of 2012. Severing such a connection would leave her brother heartbroken, and that was something she did not want happening, especially after the events that had taken place involving her dear friend Wendy. No. She would wait for the right moment to tell Dipper that she knew. But for now, she would let them enjoy their time together.

There was also a small bit of pride in her over the fact that her dork of a brother had managed to score with the drop-dead gorgeous blonde girl.

Her gut however, told her that something bad was going to happen today. Could it just be paranoia? Maybe. But Mabel's gut never lied to her. Never. The only thing she could have done at that moment, was wait. And that's exactly what she had planned to do. That day would be the adventure of a lifetime. She only hoped that if something happened, Dipper and Paz made it out alive. she couldn't live with herself, should any harm come to either of them. She would never forgive herself. Her friends and family were what kept a smile on her face. To lose her smile was to lose a part of her very being. Mabel would not be Mabel without a smile. She would protect those she loved at all costs.

Even if it meant accepting Pacifica as a friend.

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 **Well? What do you guys think about it? Leave reviews, please. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I would very much like to know about any errors I have made, so that I may do better next chapter. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Demon Triangle

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of it's Characters. They all belong to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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 **The Demon Triangle**

The room was dark and dusty. Monitors, seemingly hooked up to various hidden cameras around Graviy Falls, took up the entirety of one of the walls. A desk was beneath the monitors, and at the desk a lone figured sat. Silently watching one monitor in particular. The monitor seemed to be linked to a camera somewhere in Gravity Falls Mall. the figure typed away at a keyboard placed in the very center of the desk. The camera seemed to have zoomed in. At first the image was extremely blurry, but After a few seconds the camera came into focus to reveal two teenagers standing face to face. One of them a young boy, probably aged about 14, with brown curly hair. The other one was a girl, most likely the same age. Blonde hair covered her head, and reached the middle of her back. She was wearing what looked like designer clothes, but with the camera quality, it was hard to tell what brand they were. After a few minutes of what looked like harmless chatter, they set off towards the direction of the cinema. The young boy holding the girls hand, as if acting as a personal escort of a VIP. His facial features were hard to make out, but it seemed as though he may have been smiling. Once they had finally reached one of the theatres, they entered, and the camera lost sight of them. There was however, another camera hidden within the theatre. Once the two eager teenagers took their assigned seats, the boy released the blonde girls hand. He almost seemed reluctant to do so. As if letting go of the girls hand would cause her to fall into an abyss of darkness that would consume her. But without proper facial recognition, it was hard to tell. The figure however, did not need proper facial recognition, as he knew exaclty who these two were.

Quite suddenly, a triangle shaped entity with one eye appeared, seemingly out of thin air. The entity hovered a few feet above the air next to the dark figure, watching the two teens as they were enjoying the movie. The girl seemed to sport a scared expression on her face, and was subtly moving closer to the boy, as not arouse his suspicion.

"They almost look way too happy," said the strange triangular entity. It's one eye unblinking. It's stick arms laying at its sides. It's voice sounding unantural. As if it was a record being played on reverse. It sounded almost...Demonic.

"I am inclined to agree with you, Bill," said the dark figure, staring at the two as if boring into their very souls. His eyes looked tired as if he had lacked a substantial amount of sleep the previous night. Blinking slowly with heavy bags under his eyes. His face seemed pale and lifeless in the dim light offered by the dozens of monitors that littered one of the walls of this strange room.

"Cut to the chase Northwest," said the entity that had been addressed as Bill, "You summoned me for something. What is you need me to do and what's in it for me?" Bill asked. His form unmoving, his ever so watchful eye still unblinking. The creature himself was a perfect geometrical shape. An equilateral triangle. his arms and legs so thin they almost seemed fake. In his very center, just below his eye, a bow tie. And atop its "head" a tophat. The creature, Bill, was summoned by the Northwest for a proposition to be made. A deal.

"It is a simple favor, Bill," came the Northwests reply, "Something that you might even enjoy doing," he said with a sinister smile on his face. The man was standing up, eyes not moving away from the monitor, which still showed the two teens, happily cuddled up close to one another.

"Oh? And what exaclty do you have in mind Preston?" Bill said in his unnatural demonic voice. The very sound of the creatures voice had the power to send chills up the spine of even the most fearless of men. Preston however, had grown accustomed to it. The years spent making deals with this beast had certainly been the cause of such a calm composure despite the very feeling of coldness and lifelessness in the creatures presence.

"As you can see, my daughter is being the disobedient brat that me and my wife have have grown quite tired of," Preston Northwest said an annoyed tone. His tired eyes squinting into the monitor which displayed the inside of the theatre as well as the two teens sitting at the very back.

"And what do you expect me to about it Preston? I'm not a parent that can discipline her ya know," said the triangular creature in a slight, yet ever so evident sarcastic tone of voice. As unnatural as Bills voice was, it still seemed to show some changes.

"I expect you to make their lives a living nightmare, in whatever way you can! Such actions do not go unpunished! This is not the way a Northwest should act! Parading around with peasents! I want her, that boy and all of his friends to pay the price!" Preston all but shouted. His face distorted with anger, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. The anger in the mans face and his tone of voice did not phase Bill. Not even in the slightest.

"And what do I get in return, Preston? You very well how I do business," came Bills calm reply. his form floating slowly towards Preston, as if trying to intimidate the man with his very presence in the small, dark room.

Preston replied calmly, "What do you propose I offer to you, Bill? Is there anything in particular that you wish to have?" obviously unintimidated by the beasts actions. As though it was something he had to deal with every other day.

"I want a sacrifice Preston," came the immediate reply of Bill, "A human sacrifice. And not just some random person you find off the street! I want someone powerful! Someone who considers himself above everyone else! I need your brother, Preston," he said, narrowing his one eye at the man that stood before him.

Yes, Preston had a brother. A very ignorant man. Too blinded by his wealth and fortune to notice that he was hated by nearly everyone he surrounded himself with. Preston considered his younger brother a parasite. An embarrassment to the Northwest name. He would gladly give Bill this sacrifice. Preston truly was a cruel man. The lives of others mattered not to him. Not even family. He had made that abundantly clear by the way he treated his own daughter since the day she learned to walk.

"very well Bill Cipher. You will have your sacrifice. In due time," replied Preston, smiling evily over the fact that he had just struck a deal with one of the most powerful creatures in all of the multiverse. The creature that would surely make hell out the lives of those damned kids. After shaking Bills flame enveloped hand, the creature vanished. but not before uttering his final warning.

"You better stay true to your word Northwest. You don't want to know what happened to the last person that didn't hold up his part if the bargain," and with that, he vanished completely.

"Oh do not worry Bill," Preston said, evil smile still plastered on his tired face, "You will receive your sacrifice".

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"Okay, even I have to admit it. That was pretty scary," said the young blonde girl to her companion, after exiting the theatre. They had just seen the reboot of one the greatest horror films out there, The Grudge. Dipper was glad the she enjoyed it as much as he did. Despite the difference in personalities, Pacifica and Mabel had the same taste in movies. Sappy Romance movies. So the fact that she enjoyed a horror movie pleased him, as it showed how spectacular the movie really was.

"Hey! I just think the idea of a vampire being in love with a human girl is pretty creative," is what she would always say. However, her and Dipper both knew that she watched the movies just to see men with nice bodies, shirtless. It gave Dipper an ever so slight feeling of jelousy. Although the very idea of being shirtless in front of th blonde haired heiress had caused Dippers cheeks to flush a light shade of pink. That thought was suddenly pushed to the back of his mind, replaced with embarrassment, as he imagined himself at the shack in his teenage wolf costume, with Pacifica watching him. That would even more embarassing than Wendy watching him! His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the Northwest beauty did something that had caught his immediate attention. And made him quite nervous.

She had hugged him. It was so sudden that he had nearly lost his balance. But he regained his composure and hugged back, enjoying the warm feeling of being so close to the girl he had dreamed of every night. Smelling her enchanting perfume, and the still evident smell of cherries from her breath when she spoke whilst remaining in that same position.

"I love you with all my heart, Dipper Pines," is what she was thinking. But she had said otherwise, "I had a great time today Dipper. We should watch another movie again sometime." the nervousness evident in her voice, likely the cause of being in such close proxomity to the boy that she had very strong feelings for. Dipper however did not notice it, and if he did, he chose to ignore it.

"I had a great time too Sif," he said with a sincere smile plastered on his slightly flushed face. His eyes melting her heart like they always do. His adorable features being the center of her wild imagination. However, the new nickname he had made up for her caught her attention.

"Sif?" she asked, wanting an explanation to the sudden change, "You don't like the other nickname you made up for me?" she asked, almost jokingly.

"W-well that um...That's not exactly it," came Dipper's nervous reply, "I-I mean i-if you don't like Sif, then I'll keep calling you Paz," he said, the stutter evident in his voice. Dipper had always had trouble talking to girls in general. But they pale in comparison to Pacifica. Whenever he gazed into her eyes, he found it hard to focus on anything else, especially the words that came out of his mouth. As if he was in some sort of trance. He tried his best not to stare too long while speaking to her, or else his words would come out a stuttered mess.

"Don't worry Dipper. I think it's lovely," she said in a reassuring tone of voice. The voice that Dipper found quite beautiful and enchanting. Oh how he hoped that very voice would one day chant the words 'I love you' to him. It would be angelic hymns to his ears.

Their little moment was interrupted by the sudden explosion that had sounded not too far away from them. A shop, the name unknown to them as the sign had been blown off and was now most likely a pile of ash, had suddenly exploded. Luckily, it was under maintenance and the workers were on their break, so no one was in the shop or in the immediate vicinity of the explosion. The suddenness of it had mustered up quite a bit of commotion. People everywhere were wondering what had caused it. It looked as though the shop was the only thing that had been damaged. Nothing else. Which meant that a bomb may have been planted inside. Judging by the flowers scattered all over the floor, some burnt, some in small piles of ash, it was a flower shop. But who would even so much as think of bombing a flower shop? The very idea seemed inconceivable.

"Dipper!" came the sudden shouts of familiar voices from somewhere behind him. He turned around and was greeted by none other then his gang of friends. Nate, Lee, Tambry, Robbie, Thompson and surprisingly, Wendy. She may have left only a few minutes after him to meet the others here. Had he known they were here, he probably would not have come.

"Do you know what happened here?" Wendy asked, worry written all over her face and definitely evident in her voice. Her eyes seemed to fixated on the shop, as if expecting it to just tell them who had planted the bomb inside of it.

"Dipper! Dipper where are you?!" came the shout of another familiar voice. Mabel? what was she doing here? It had dawned Dipper that Pacifica was still standing next to him. The teens however were too focused on the burning shop and the firefighters to notice that the two were holding hands. Or so he thought.

"Dipper, what is SHE doing holding your hand?" asked Wendy in confusion, completely forgetting the explosion. The sudden question had caused all the teens to ignore the commotion and focus solely on the fact that their friend Dipper was here in the mall, holding hands with none other than Pacifica Northwest. After a few minutes of mumbling, trying to come up with a proper way to explain this, Pacifica finally found it necessary to speak.

"We are here on a date as friends, why is it any of your business, red?" she asked in a defensive tone, as if Wendy would steal Dipper from her right then and there. Pacifica had been told about Dipper's feelings for this girl. feelings that he no longer had. Or so Pacifica had hoped.

It was that time that Mabel had finally reached them. She had sensed this would happen the moment the explosion went off, as Wendy had told her that she was meeting the gang at the mall. But what she did not expect was to find Wendy and Pacifica face to face, both sporting glares on their face. Dipper only stared. Fearing the outcome of the situation.

"Guys!" Mable had sudenly yelled, startling them all. However, everyone quickly regained their composures, and turned to Dipper and Pacifica with Questioning eyes. All but Nate. Nate had already known what Dipper was doing here with Pacifica. He had guessed that they were on a date. But it confused him that Pacifica said they were mearly there as friends. He had thought that maybe Dipper had finally mustered up the courage to come out with the truth to Pacifica. The truth about his strong feelings for the blonde.

"So, do you mind explaining this to me, Dipper?" Wendy asked angrily, feeling slightly betrayed that he would even so much as go near the Northwest that they resented. At least without telling them about it. They had not known about the moment that he and Pacifica had shared at the Northwest ball two summers prior. In fact, they had not even known that the twins were even there. Except Nate. Dipper had told Nate everything. He trusted the dark skinned teen with his life.

"What? Dipper you didn't tell them about me?" Pacifica all but shouted. Of course it was to be expected. She was convinced that Dipper was open about their friendship to the group of teens standing In front of them . To find out that he had hid the truth from them caused quite the shock for her. What was going through his head when he decided to hide it all from them?

"I guess this moment would have come sooner or later," Dipper said in a defeated tone, "I guess I'll have to give you guys the full story," he continued, "I have been great friends with Pacifica since the summer of 2012. It started at the Northwest ball, after her parents asked me to exorcise a ghost that had been haunting their mansion for a while. After spending the night running from the ghost, catching it and allowing it to escape, Pacifica had finally found the courage to stand up to her parents. She broke the curse by letting the towns folk into the mansion, despite her parents ordering her not do so. After that night, I knew that she wasn't what we all thought. I knew she was troubled because of those idiotic, self-centered, control freaks she called parents. After I had talked to her that night, it was as if I had known her all my life. We were so different, yet so alike. We spent the last two years developing this friendship. I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you earlier. I truly am, and I don't think there is anything I could do to make it up to you guys. I knew you wouldn't approve of the friendship I shared with her. So I kept it a secret," he said, sadness evident in his voice. In his mind, he had just betrayed his closest friends by hiding this from them. He knew how much they resented Pacifica. He thought that what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. He had not considered the outcome of them finding out this way.

"Dipper I have to tell you something," Mabel suddenly chimed in, "I already knew about your affairs with Pacifica. I was hurt that you had kept this from me for two years, but at the same time, I understood why. I just want you to know that if you accept Pacifica as a friend, then I do too. I don't know about you guys, But I think it's time we gave her a chance," she said with a small smile on her face.

Dipper only looked at her in shock. she had known all along?! How could he have been so foolish?! Of course it was expected of Mabel to spy on him during his various outings with her! He mentally slapped himself for being so blind.

"I-," Dipper tried to say, but was immediately cut off by Wendy. Only she seemed to have calmed down.

"Dipper, I don't like her, but if you're willing to accept her as a friend, then I am willing to tolerate her. What Mabel said made me think. Everyone deserves a second chance, and if Pacifica can prove that she changed from being the brat we all resent, then I would more then ever like her to be part of our group" she said as a small, yet sincere smile slowly formed on her lips. The other teens nodded in agreement with what Wendy had said.

"Yeah Doctor Fun Times! If you can give her a chance, then so can we!" Lee said enthusiastically. All the while Robbie, Nate and Tambry, who had long ago put away her phone, were smiling over the fact that this whole thing was resolved without a huge argument.

"I'd like to thank all of you for this. Of course I'm a bit upset that Dipper kept me a secret. But I think I kind of understand why he did it. You guys seem to really care about him. Which is why I'm grateful that you're willing to accept me as a friend," Pacifica said, her smile unwavering. Now she truly saw how valuable friendship could be. To go from being resented, to being accepted as a good friend after exchanging just a few sincere words was something that seemed almost unbelievable. But here she was, hugging the people that had once deemed her an enemy. To say she was happy would be an understatement.

The moment was quickly ruined however, as their surroundings suddenly lost all color, and an unnatural voice was heard, seemingly coming from everywhere at once.

"Hello kids! Get ready for your worst nightmare!" was the last thing that was heard before darkness suddenly consumed them all.

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 **I am quite proud of this chapter. Once again, review if you find any errors. Constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Temple On The Island

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls or any of it's characters. All of it belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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The Temple On The Island

The beautiful garden that Dipper and Pacifica were sitting in was littered with flowers of all kinds. The sun was shining on one of the most beautiful mornings, and the grass had smelled of morning dew. They were sitting on a black and white picnic blanket that sported a checkered pattern. To Dipper's right was a picnic basket that had been emptied out onto the checkered blanket. Fruits of all kinds were on a plate in the middle on the blanket. Right between Dipper and Pacifica. Pacifica was wearing a beautiful white sundress that hugged her gorgeous figure. Dipper was also wearing white. A suit and tie that looked almost too expensive to even exist. Dipper had been feeding Pacifica grapes when he suddenly got close to her. So close she could smell his minty breath. So close that she could do nothing but gaze into his beautiful brown eyes. They moment was...Enchanting.

"I love you, Pacifica Northwest," He said in a low whisper. slowly inching towards her for a kiss. She was too frozen in nervousness to move. She only let him come closer and closer. Her eyes had long since been closed. Waiting for the beautiful moment. The moment that she had been waiting for since that night in the Northwest Manor. The moment in which something she had longed for would finally happen. The moment she would finally kiss the love of her life. The moment she would share a part of herself with Dipper Pines. how she craved for him. To put his lips on hers. To be the first girl to ever do so with him. It was like something from a dream. Something she could only imagine happening in a fantasy world. And yet, here it was. Happening at this very beautiful moment.

"Pacifica..." she heard him say slowly, "Pacifica..." his voice had suddenly been replaced with the voice of a female. A familiar one.

"Pacifica!" the voice yelled again, causing her to jolt up from the position she had been sleeping in. Breathing heavily. Damnit! Here she was having one the most beautiful dreams she had ever had in a long time, and someone had found it necessary to just wake her up at the best part of it! Of course, the very fact that it was only a dream had been a little bit depressing. But not more then the fact that she was woken up just before she was about to kiss the boy she loved with all her heart! On the outside she seemed calm, but on the inside she was furious at the person that had woken her up. She looked around to see who it was and was shocked to see that was surrounded by her friends on what seemed like a beach. This was not her bedroom. Where as she? She got up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and dusted the sand off her clothes. Could this be some sort of island?

"Where are we?" she asked curiously, trying to hide the rage in her voice for being woke up from her beautiful dream. Whoever had done it had certainly deserved to pay. But the thought of explaining why she had a dream about almost kissing the boy that she had insisted was only a friend had caused her to hold her temper. It was for the best that no one knew. It would also to save her from being teased, along with Dipper. Teasing was not something she responded well to. It wasn't that it made her temper flare, like many other things. It was not even the idea of being teased. It was the actual thing that she would be teased about. She would blush if anyone so much as suggested the idea of her and Dipper being just friends! It would certainly be the death of her to be teased about such a sensitive topic! She loved Dipper, but that was not something that everyone needed to know at this point. It would be detrimental their very survival, assuming that they were going to be stuck there for a while. Which was of the most likely outcomes. Being stuck there, living like savages in makeshift tents, surviving on wild animals or un-cleaned fruit. The very thought sent chills up Pacifica's spine.

"We don't know. Yet," Dipper calmly answered her question. It was in fact an island. Not far from the beach there was an area covered in various exotic plants and trees. A jungle, most likely home to many animals. Most of them deadly. Pacifica was already nervous. She looked around once again and noticed that, passed the water, there was no land for what looked like miles. They were stuck! She only hoped that Dipper, or anyone came up with a plan to escape this. As cruel as her parents were, she wanted to be home! Not stuck on some jungle island, possible an undiscovered one in the middle of the ocean. Or possible even an island in a completely different dimension considering the fact that the owner of that strange demonic voice has most likely sent them there! When it came to Gravity Falls, the possibilities were endless. Despite looking calm on the outside, she was screaming and panicking on the inside. She looked at Dipper and calmed down just in the slightest, for he seemed to be thinking of something. A way off the island was of the most likely. And when it came to Dipper, he had a plan for everything, and his plans almost never failed. It was something she admired about him greatly. He was the most intelligent person she had met in her life. The fact that he remained calm in almost any situation always filled her with relief.

Yes, on some occasions, Dipper had asked Pacifica to accompany him on his paranormal hunts. Without his friends knowing of course. Every single time he asked, she had without hesitation agreed. It was amazing how much he knew about the creatures that lurked within the woods of Gravity Falls. whenever they were walking through the trees, she could not help but stare at his face every time he was not looking. She always took notice of how cute he looked with his nose buried in his journal. His beautiful brown eyes squinting to keep the sweat from getting into them. She loved everything about him. Even his flaws. If there was anyone she could count on more in situations like this, it was Dipper. No matter what, she knew that he would come through with a brilliant plan. Or so she hoped.

"Well, I think it's about time we found out," Wendy said, standing up from the large rock she was sitting on. dusting herself off with her hands. Adjusting her worn out lumber jack hat that her father had given her for her 13th birthday. The one that she had worn every day since. To her, the hat was a symbol of the strong bond that she shaired with her father, Dan Corduroy. Though he refused to admit due to his fear of being "unmanly", he cared greatly for his daughter. Nothing could stop him from loving her.

"Guys, I think you need to see this," said the distant voice of Thompson. The group looked around, finally finding him near what looked like a temple of some sorts. it appeared to be have been built into the side of a mountain. Hopefully not a volcano ready to blow at any given moment. The very entrance must have been at least 8 feet in height, and about 10 in width. Incomprehensible whispers seemed to come from the darkness that lie beyond the. They seemed to get louder with ever step the group took whilst approaching the temple. It was as eerie as it was fascinating. It was as if the whispers came from souls lost withing the darkness that loomed over head as the group stepped inside. Just they stepped into the darkness, the whispers were silenced.

"G-g-guys, I-I-I d-don't think this is s-such a good idea," said a scared Thompson as he was walking through the entrance following his friends. Thompson could always sense danger. Whenever his gut told him that something was a bad idea, he instantly turned his back. This time however he was torn between two options. Remain alone and be attacked, maybe even killed, by a wild animal with no one to help him, Or follow his friends into the entrance of a dark, possibly ancient, temple that looked like it could collapse at any second. He had followed his friends, albeit reluctantly, deciding that dying alone was far worse than dying with friends. After walking for less than one minute in the darkness of the cave, light was suddenly surrounding them in the form of torches. Torches were placed at intervals on the walls of the temple's first chamber. The entrance chamber. Within the chamber, there were what looked like 5 doorways leading in different directions, each one of them closed. It was a dead end. Or so they thought.

The temple entrance had suddenly been closed off by a small rockslide. Causing any chance of the teens escaping that island to plummet drastically. How were they to escape? the entrance was blocked off by the giant boulders, and the 5 doorways looked as if they only led deeper into the temple. Perhaps there ma have been an entrance on the other side of temple, which was a long way, judging by how wide the mountain had looked. But even so, the doorways looked like they were not going to be opened any time soon. The group was stuck, and they all frowned in defeat as the realization had struck them. it had struck them like a ton of bricks. They would die of hunger if the entire structure didn't collapse on them first. But quite suddenly, the colors around them faded as none other than the trianlgle demon himself, Bill Cipher, appeared out of thin air and slowly started floating downwards until he was a few feet above their heads.

"Hello Pine Tree! Miss me?" he said enthusiastically. Greeting them as if they were friends who had gotten together to watch a movie or simply hang out. His voice carrying that same unnatural tone. The more he spoke, the more scared the teens had become. Save for Dipper and Mabel, who were sporting angry glares. If looks could kill, Cipher would have been vaporized thousands of times over. He was however, unphased by the glares sent his way by the Pines twins.

"What do you want this time Bill!" Dipper all but shouted at the equilateral beast. He had encountered the demon numerous times before. Each time he had managed to defeat him. This time however, it would prove quite difficult to best him. Being the intelligent being he was, Bill had learned his lesson, and would not underestimate the Pines twins this time. Not even in the slightest. He knew what they were capable of when they worked together. Hell, Dipper was smart enough to figure out how to beat Bill in the dreamscape. Bill had always admired the boys intelligence. Even if it was the cause of his defeat every time he encountered the boy. But to defeat the great Bill Cipher? The most powerful demon in all of the multiverse? It had definitely earned the respect of many, including the triangle beast himself. However, it would not change the fact that Bill had made a deal with Preston Northwest to torture these kids. And when Bill makes a deal, for the right price, he intends to hold up his end of the bargain. No matter the sircumstances.

"Geez kid! Cool your jets! I was just messing around with ya!" he said before laughing loudly. His one eye closed.

"Cut it out Bill! What do you really want? If it's me your after for some reason, than leave these guys out of it!" Dipper said, his glare unchanging. Though he may not have shown it in his calm demeanor, he was furious that Bill had the nerve to come after him in the presence of his friends. He knew the lives of humans meant nothing to Bill. He would without any remorse kill anyone who got in his way. No matter who it was. The demon was heartless and that much had become evident in the many times he had tried to destroy Dipper and the mystery shack.

"Oh Pine Tree! Always the brave on! I admire that about ya! But it isn't you I'm after specifically. It's all of you!" Bill replied, his one eye widening as he grew larger and turned red for a few seconds as flames enveloped the chamber around them before going back to normal, "Allow me what to explain what this is all about. Ya see, llama's pop discovered that she was constantly hanging out with someone he thought was "not worthy of his kind", so he made a deal with me to make your lives a living hell! The only way you can escape this and go home in one piece is to solve the riddles of my little labryinth. Of course if you do manage to make it out, which I highly doubt you will, there is a reward. I'm a demon, but I'm not a monster. Anyone who makes it out alive will get one wish. But only one! If you do come out in one piece, us it wisely!" he said, his unblinking eye moving between each teen, examining their facial features, " Good luck Pine Tree! You'll need it! And remember! I'll be watching you!" he said before laughing maniacally and disappearing. The color returned to the fear struck teens' surroundings just as the triangular demon had disappeared. Hislaugh still echoing in the minds of the teens. So this was all some sort sick game to him? And who is llama? What was the beast talking about? The confusion became evident on the teens faces as soon as the fear had subsided after that wretched beast had vanished. To prevent a million questions being asked at once, and possibly a very heated argument, Robbie decided to speak for the entire group.

"Dipper," Robbie started, "You have some serious explaining to do," he said, putting emphasis on the word 'serious'. Of course it was to be expected. Dipper had obviously encountered this creature before, judging by the fact that he knew it's name. And if he knew it, he knew how to defeat it. It only made sense. Of course, if the demon stayed true to his word, there would be no need to try and defeat it. Who would pass up a free wish by trying to kill it? Only a mad man would do such a foolish thing.

"I know, I know," Dipper said hastily, "You guys deserve a proper explanation, and that's exacty what I'll give you. You see, Bill Cipher is probably the most poweful demon ib the universe. His capabilities are most likely limitless. He can do whatever he pleases, whenever he pleases. He has these code names he gives us for some reason. He said that llama's dad had apparently made a deal with him to torture us." he continued, almost running out of breath from talking quickly.

"But who is llama?" asked Wendy, who had somehow Found her voice after the situation with bill. His very presence struck fear into her heart. The whole time, she had been frozen in fear, only listening as Bill talked about what they needed to do. Of course, she would not tell anyone this. Her pride would not allow her to do so. Despite their situation, they would not let her live it down. For one of the most courageous individuals of the group to be frozen in fear? It would surely ruin her reputation amongst the teens.

"from what I know about the code names, llama is Pacifica," Dipper started, looking at the blonde girl that was standing next to him. He noticed how close she was and tried his best to hide his nervousness, "Preston must have somehow found out about me and Pacifica's meetings, and told Bill to torture us. For what price though, I cannot say," he said, with a glum look on his face.

"Maybe Bill wants a sacrifice. You know how much he loves exchanging things for sacrifices" Mabel suddenly chimed in. It could have been a likely. But with Bill, the possibilities were endless.

"It could very well be just that. But that isn't important right now. Bill said that this was a labryinth. It's like a maze game. To make it out alive, we have to solve the riddles that this temple has to offer. But we have to be extremely careful guys. Together, we can't be outsmarted. I'm not willing to find out what happens when we make mistakes," Dipper said firmly. His voice filled with determination.

"Yeah! You got this Docter Fun Times" Lee said enthusiastically, "Looks like we got ourselves a group leader here! Dipper! Dipper! Dipper" he began chanting his name. And soon enough everyone, even Robbie, were chanting along with Lee. Looks like he now held the responsibility of leading the group to safety. He only hoped his intellect would be able to guide him through this mess. Back to Gravity Falls. Back to the mystery shack. Back home where they belonged. It was going to be a long journey indeed. But he would try with every ounce of his strength and willpower to keep his friends safe. He did not want to be the cause of one his friends getting hurt, or possibly dying. Especially The blonde haired girl that he loved with all his heart. The girl standing at his side, so close he could hear her nervous breathing pattern. He would protect them with his life. Even if it meant losing it in the process. If he did not make it out alive, his friends would. It would fill Dipper with pride and happiness to see his friends come through. Unharmed.

For the people he loved, dying was worth it if it meant saving them.

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 **Rate and review! I'm quite happy with the way this chapter turned out, despite the fact that it's shorter than the previous two. Still, I'm proud of it. Point out any errors I made please! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: Riddle Me This

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls or any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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Riddle Me This

The teens all stood in front of the 5 mysterious doorways that lead further into the temple. Or the labryinth, as Bill Cipher had called it. The 5 doorways all seemed to have been sealed shut by huge slabs of what may have been the same stone that the entire temple was made out of. It was hard to tell from the cracks and mold. Despite looking old and worn down, they were near impossible to break through. Robbie had tried ramming into one of them, which lead to an undented slab of stone, and a very, very hurt shoulder. As the others whispered to each other of possible plans, Dipper stood there. Thinking. That demon Bill had said that this labyrinth had riddles. Maybe there was a voice triggered mechanism? He could not say. That was, until he noticed a jutting brick in between two of the doorways. The more he examined it, the less real the brick looked. Yes! He had found a trigger! He stepped towards it, which attracted the immediate attention of the rest of the group. They watched silently as walked up to the jutted out stone and began to apply pressure to it. He had hoped that pushing the brick like a button would open at least one of the doors. But something else happened. Something he did not expect. After pressing it down all the way, holographic words appeared before them, with Bill voices them out. Although he could not be seen. Similar to when they blacked out at the mall. The teens would have thought that the deranged triangle would offer at least some hints that would help them along the way. Dipper and Mabel however, knew that they were on their own. Bill was not one to offer help. When he did things for others, it was for his own benefit. Bill did not make friends.

"Well done Pine Tree. You found the trigger. But it isn't gonna be that easy. Remember how I said you had to solve this place's riddles? Time time get your brain to work Pine Tree! Remember! I'm always watching!" Bill said in his demonic voice. After he disappeared, the holographic words changed. This time however, Bill was silent. The words were scrambled at first, but after a few seconds they became comprehensible. It showed a pattern of numbers. Only a number in the sequence was missing, and in it's place, a question mark.

( 1, 11, 21, 1211, 111221 , 312211, ? )

There were words under it. They read 'At last a piece of the puzzle has been found, answer this question to remain safe and sound. What does the question mark represent?'. The words remained for at least one minute before a timer took their place. The timer read 1 hour, and was counting down. So they had a time limit? This was going to be tough! Dipper did not want to know what would happen when the timer reached zero. The fact that this was made by Bill Cipher left Dipper thinking about the greusome outcomes of that situation. He would not let that counter reach zero before solving this. But from the looks of it, it was going to be tough.

"Dipper, what does it mean? can you think of the answer?" Mabel asked in a worry filled voice, as she too did not want to face the consequences of running out of time. Dipper was the math wiz. He should answer something like this easily, shouldn't he?

"Come on Dipper, we're counting on you," Wendy said softly, in a reassuring tone.

"Yeah Dipper! You got this in the bag, right?" Robbie asked hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah! But, this number sequence. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I can't find a pattern!" Dipper said in a worried tone. His failure would lead to the possible death of them all. He would be the reason they would not make it out of this alive! He tried with all his brainpower to think of the answer to the riddle. Number patterns are always easy to find. Unless the consequence for answering wrong was death.

No! He could not think like that! There had to be a pattern! He had to find it! The timer had already reached the 45 minute mark, and by the looks of it, would not be stopping anytime soon unless he came up with something! Dipper tried to imagine it was just a simple riddle his math teacher gave him in a classroom. But try as he might, he could not push the thoughts of sudden death out of his mind. His mind was racing with possibilities. What would happen when it reached zero? What terrible fate does that wretched demon have planned for them? What if he answers wrong?

"I'm sorry guys, I cant think of anything! I just can't focus with the thought of all of us possibly dying when that damned counter reaches zero!" he shouted, though not in anger. In worry? In sadness? In desperation? No one could possibly tell. His words could not have been truer. Everyone was thinking it. Thinking about their terrible fate, should the timer reach the zero mark. They had always relied on Dipper to be the "man with the plan' whenever anything went wrong. Hell, without Dipper's quick thinking, all of them would surely be dead. He had always come through. Always. Or could it be that even the great Dipper pines could not get them out of this one? Could this finally be the day that the boy who was ready for every situation, the boy that had been prepared for every outcome, the boy that could very well decide their fate, be out of ideas? It seemed almost impossible. But at this point they were slowly, but surely, losing their hope.

"No Dipper! I know you can do this! You're the most intelligent person here! Without you this group would basically be dead already! I, no, WE know that you have it in you to solve this damned riddle! Don't focus on what happens when you get it wrong! Don't focus on what that demon will do to us when the time runs out! Think about what happens when you get it right! It would bring us one step closer to freedom! I'll be damned if I'm gonna die in this rat cage, Dipper! Now Think! Not just for me, for your friends! For yourself! Don't think harder, think smarter!" Pacifica all but shouted. she had been holding his shoulders the whole time, and he had only noticed it just now. Despite the situation, he managed to sport a light pink tint on his cheeks. Luckily Pacifica had not noticed, but it did get him thinking about what would happen should he answer this riddle correclty. True were her words, it would lead them one step closer to the freedom that they og so desired. All of them would make it out alive! Dipper would finally be able to tell Pacifica the truth about his strong feelings for her!

Sudenly there was a loud sound. Similar to that of a church bell. They all looked towards the clock to see that the it had reached the 15 minute mark. 15 minutes between life and death. But Dipper was calm. He knew he could do it. So he got his brain working again. Thinking.

'Hmm, it's tricky all right. But what could the pattern be?' thought Dipper to himself. The more he thought, the more it made sense to him. 'That's it!' he thought with joy. Yes! Each number in the sequence represents the numbe before it!

(1 ( the first number in the sequence )

(11 ( the first digit represents the numbr of values in the first part of the sequence, the second digit represents the actual value )

Yes of course! That's the pattern! How could he have been so blind? It was right in font of him!

"Guys! I think I know the answer" Dipper said just before hearing the bell sound again. The timer had reached the 1 minute mark! He had to hurry! Their very lives were on the line. But that tought had made him reluctant. What if he got it wrong? They would die knowing that their 'man with the plan' had failed them.

"Hurry Dipper! Say it already!" Lee yelled. Desperation evident in his voices even. He did not want to die in this wretched place!

"I don't know if it's right though" Dipper said, fearing that he might be wrong and it would be their doom. Fearing that they would all die knowing that it was his fault for giving the wrong answer.

"It won't matter Dipper! If that timer reaches zero, we'll all die anyway! Even if you're wrong, I'd like to die knowing that you at least tried to save us!" Tambry shouted. It had been the first time she had spoken since they were teleported to the island. The very fact that she was shouting had caused utter silence to fill the room. No one had ever heard Tambry shout before. no one had ever even seen her anrgy side until now. And that was probably what made Dipper obey her. He stood in before of the holographic text. The timer still ticking down the seconds until their deaths.

"All right!" Dipper said as the timer reached the 15 second mark. 14, 13, 12, "The answer is 13112221!" Dipper yelled.

The timer had stopped just as it reached the 5 second mark. And the door in the very middle opened, revealing a pathway lit by torches on the walls. He had saved them! He had answered correctly! The group cheered for Dipper. They hoisted him up and threw him into the air. Knowing that they were now closer to getting out of this place.

Their cheers were interrupted by Bills voice. The group had nearly dropped Dipper because of how suddenly Bill's voice had been heard.

"Well done Pine Tree. Well done. That was an easy one though. Don't think even for a second that all my challeneges will be like this one! Oh no! This labryinth is designed to push all of you to your limits! Each challenge being more difficult than the last! Beware Pine Tree! For your road to freedom may be paved in knives!" Said Bill. And that was the last thing the teenagers heard before the holographic text disappeared.

"Nice one Dipper! How'd you find the answer? It looked pretty hard!" Nate asked. Dipper smiled to himself as he remembered the motivation that Pacifica had given him. All in just a few, albeit shouted, words. She truly had a way of with words.

"I guess it just took a lot of focus," he said, shrugging his shoulders, though in his mind, the words Pacifica and Tambry had said replayed, over and over. Everyone would have been dead, had they not encouraged him.

"Don't think harder, think smarter!" the words echoed in his mind as he and his friends walked through the long tunnel. He truly was thankful for his friends being there for him. It filled him with happiness to know that they would always be there for him, no matter what. That hour was quite eventful, but he knew that the remaining challenges would be much, much harder to overcome. However, with hope, skill and a little bit of luck, him and his friends would no doubt come it out of this mess alive. They would return home.

They reached a few feet into the corridor when the stone slab shut behind them. No turning back from this point onward.

And Dipper was determined to not turn back, for the lives of him and his friends depended on it.

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 **Thanks for reading! Rate and review! This chapter was pretty short, only 2000 words, but I'm still proud of it! Next chapter might come a bit later, but rest assured, it will be uploaded! I'm not giving up on this story any time soon. I have big plans for it! I'm here to finish the adventure that I started.**


	5. Chapter 5: Parkour

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls or any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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Parkour

After completing the first riddle that the temple had thrown at the group, they had felt quite relieved that they were still alive. And to think that the group had a mere 5 seconds to spare. 5 seconds between life and death. The very thought caused chills to run up Dipper's spine. Had he been more reluctant at the time, and they would surely be dead. In a way, he was thankful that Tambry had yelled at him. It made him think. Even if he had guessed it wrong, the team would have died knowing that Dipper tried to save them.

"Dude, if there was an afterlife, I'd have totally thanked you for at least trying to save us," Robbie said as they were walking down the narrow corridor. Though he meant it jokingly, the thought of death still put Dipper at unease. But he would not tell anyone this. They had made him their group leader, and it they would surely lose all hopes of getting out of the labryinth, should Dipper be afraid to face the challenges the wretched place would throw at them. He suddenly remembered the last words he had heard Bill Cipher say.

'Each challenge more difficult than the last'. The words kept echoing through his mind. He was too busy thinking to notice that they had reached yet another chamber. This one almost twice the size of the entrance chamber. However, other than the difference in size, they seemed almost identical. That is until suddenly, the platform the teens were standing on started shaking, and parts of the ground started to crumble away, revealing a dark abyss under the platform. After about 1 minute, the ground stopped shaking. A large portion of the ground had fallen into the darkness below, leaving multiple, seemingly floating, platforms. Some of them connected to each other. It looked as though it was a parkour game. It could have very well been just that. After all, is that not what Bill saw this entire mess as? Some sick game? Dipper had little time to think about it, as said demon's voice filled the room yet again.

"Welcome to your doom!" he said in a distorted voice. As if his usual voice wasn't eerie enough. He did however, revert back to his usual voice as he continued, "I know what you may be thinking, Pine Tree! 'This looks like some sort of stupid parkour game'," he said, badly immitating Dipper's voice. Mocking him. He truly did see all of this as some game to be played. Only he made up the rules as he went along.

"Enough, you stupid triangle! What are we supposed to do?" Lee shouted, agrivated at the beast that they could not see. Lee rarely ever shouted. He was the nice guy of the group. That one friend that everyone just seemed to like for some reason. The one that would never get angry, and always remained calm. It was indeed a surprise to Dipper, and the rest of the teens, to see Lee of all people yelling in anger. At a dream demon no less.

Bill only laughed, unphased by the teens anger. Everything seemed funny to him for some reason. But it may be caused by the fact that he had complete control over them, and that he could throw any challenge he wanted at them. Dipper only hoped that Bill didn't think about something too greusome or traitorous.

"What does it look like goldy locks?" Bill asked, mocking Lee. He seemed amused at Lee's expression as he continued, "It's parkour. I'm sure all of you have heard of it, so let me explain the challenge. You have to jump from platform to platform and make it to the the door on the other side of the room. But that's way too easy, so I added my own little twist!" Bill said, his voice getting darker as he uttered the last sentence. He continued just as darkly, "some of the platforms are a bit...Unstable! Careful not to fall into the spikes at the end of the 20 foot drop! Oh! I also added flame tip arrows, because who doesn't like fire, am I right?" he said as though it was a joke. The teens however would not put it passed this infernal demon to do put them through something as dangerous as this. If there was one thing the demon did better than any monster in the universe, it was dishing out pain to others. This situation was no exception. Bill had not made a deal with Preston to kill them. But he could still push them to their limits. And if one of them ended up dead before this ended, it would be their own fault for not trying hard enough to survive. It was obvious that weaklings would not last long in the hands of Bill Cipher. Dipper however, was determined to try as hard as he possibly could to get through this chamber safely. Along with his friends of course. Their safety was his top priority. He promised himself to protect them, and he sure as hell was not ready to break that promise. His thoughts were cut off as Bill continued to speak in his voice. After dealing with the demon so many times, the voice had become annoying to Dipper. How he wished the creature had an actual mouth that he could sew shut.

"Well, it semes as though you all are ready for a good challenge! Good luck! You'll need it. And remember, Pine Tree. I'm watching you!" Bill said before laughing as his voice suddenly faded. His laugh still echoing in Dipper's mind. the laugh was something that had become annoying to listen to. That much everyone could agree on. Their thoughts of destroying Bill were cut off when one of them spoke.

"Come on guys. It's just parkour, how hard can it be?" Lee said, as if this was the easiest challenge in the world. He began walking on one of the narrow pathways that connected to another platform. Only it collapsed before Lee could do anything. Leaving him to fall into the dark abyss below, to be impaled by the spikes at the end of the 20 foot drop. This is not how he pictured it would end for him. Not even in the slightest. His eyes closed, falling to his death. He wanted to scream but nothing came out. It was as if his voice decided to stop working out of pure terror. He would die silently. That is, until he realized he was not falling.

"Don't worry buddy, I got ya!" Nate said, struggling to keep his grip on Lee's ankle. After all, he was smaller than him. He noticed his grip was slipping. He cried out, knowing that this would be the end of one of his best friends. However, he seemed to have gotten lighter. He looked to his left and noticed Dipper had grabbed Lee's other ankle. The relief on Nate's face was easy to see. His friend would live!

"What are you waiting for? Pull him up!" Dipper said, slightly raising his voice. He too was struggling to keep hold, as his hand was slighty sweaty. Thankfully, they managed to pull him up together. they all breathed sighs of relief as they managed to get him fully onto the platform the rest of the group were standing on.

"Yeah, it's gonna be real easy, right?" Pacifica said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Despite the situation, she still managed to be the smartass that Dipper had come to love. And Lee, despite himself, smiled. Not only in relief that he was spared a painful yet silent death. But also that Pacifica, though faced with even the biggest of challenges, could still be snide and sarcastic.

"Yeah well..." Lee started, only to be cut off by Tambry.

"Save it dude. Right now, we need to find a platform that will actually hold our weight," she said sternly, to the surprise of the whole group. Tambry had always been a quiet person. Even though she used her phone a great deal less after she started dating Robbie, she still remained quiet and calm. Perhaps encountering death face to face had triggered something. Who knew all it took to get someone talking was to throw them in a labryinth made by some deranged triangle creature? Certainly not Dipper, that much was for certain.

"She's right guys, we can't just risk jumping on to any platform. We all have to make it out of this alive," Dipper said, his voice stern. The confidence of their leader had filled each of them with slight feelings of relief and hope. If Dipper could come up with a plan, then this challenge would surely be easy to overcome. And when it came to Dipper, he had a plan for everything. It was something that Pacifica admired greatly about the boy. Of course there were other things that she loved about him, but his quick thinking when in dire situations was what she loved the most about him. Especially considering the fact that she lived in a place like Gravity Falls.

"Yeah, but how can we tell which ones are unstable and which ones aren't? They all look the same to me," Robbie said, trying to hide the slight fear in his voice. Though he would not admit, he was scared. Scared for not only his life, but for his friend's lives as well. As cold as Robbie may seem at times, he cared deeply for the group of teens. Even the Pines twins. Of course, his manly image would have been shattered had he confessed that to anyone. If there was one thing he cared about very much, it was keeping up his manly image in front of not only his friends, but everyone else as well.

"There is a way to tell. I've been studying speleology in my free time, and I read in one of my text books that a rock may be unstable if it looks darker than other rocks. The darker color indicates that it's older, and therefor more likely to break when pressure is applied to it. I also know that if one of these platforms is unstable, it will have a series of different cracks, and it will also have a more jagged shape," Dipper said, narrowing his eyes at the 7 different narrow pathways connected to the platform they were standing on. Before the small incident with Lee, ther were 8 pathways. Dipper's words were true. It was extremely dangerous to to test their luck on the platforms. After all, there could have only been one that was stable. There was only one way to find out.

"Only a nerd studies in his free time, Dipper," Mabel said with a giggle before contuing, "What is speleology? Can you try explaining in English this time? Please?" Mabel asked, almost jokingly, to Dipper's annoyance. They were in the face of death and she was still as silly as ever. He smiled to himself at the very thought.

"Speleology is the study of caves, Mabel," Dipper said as though it were the most obvios thing in the world. He continued, explaining in a much simpler manner, "If a rock is darker, has a lot of cracks on it and looks jagged, then it's unstable," Dipper said. He hoped that she would not make another silly comment about how nerdy he was. He loved his sister, but her teasing could get annoying. And considering the fact that they were in a temple of doom, he would not fare well with her teasing.

Thankfully she had simply nodded. A genuine nod of understanding. At least he knew that she was aware of what needed to be done. Silly as she was, she could be quite serious at times. He hoped dearly that this was one of those times.

"So that's it? It seems pretty easy," Wendy said calmly. The look on her face showed slight worry, but her calm composure showed otherwise.

"It's easier said than done, Wendy," Nate said. He understood what Dipper had said. In truth, he too knew quite a bit about caves and minerals and whatnot. His uncle was a speleologist. Though he would not tell anyone that. What would others think if one proudly stated that their uncle was someone who studied caves for a living? They would certainly tease him, and for that reason, Dipper may have been the only one who knew about Nate's uncle's profession.

"He's right," Dipper said, almost immediately after him. Though the idea seemed easy in theory, they were in a temple built by a demon. It also did not help that the only light source were the torches above head and on the walls. This would surely be a difficult challange to overcome. But Dipper was determined to make it to the other side of the chamber. With his friends.

"All right, let's try and see which platforms we can walk on. It may be a longshot, but we have to try, right?" Robbie said, his voice hopeful. It was evident that he was as eager to get out of this place as anyone else in the room. Perhaps that would be his motivation for getting the hell over with this challenge. It was the entire team's motivation. Stay here and die of hunger, or get out of this alive? It was obvious which one the group prefered. Here's a hint, it wasn't the first option.

"Okay," Dipper said, examining the 7 pathways in front of him. The more he stared, the more it became evident to him which ones could possibly be stable. This was built by Bill Cipher, but he had to have made it possible. Extremely difficult, but possible. Or so Dipper hoped.

"Okay guys, I think I know which ones might be safe. But the only slight problem is, I don't know which one to choose. Which one will lead us closest to to the door on the other side of the chamber?" Dipper asked the group. He may have been their leader, but he would not go through with something without everyone agreeing on it.

"They all have to to lead closer to it. Let's just try one. If we reach a dead end, we'll turn back," Pacifica said. The idea actualy seemed appealing to not only Dipper, but to the rest of the group as well. Though everyone seemed to praise her for the idea, she could not help but blush ever so slightly when Dipper had complemented her for coming up with it. In her book, a compliment from possibly the cutest boy ever was something to be proud of. It took a great deal of her willpower to not do a victory dance for being the one with the idea. For once.

"Okay, so it's settled then. Let's try and break the unstable ones so we don't get confused first," Wendy said in a stern tone of voice, before giving all of pathways a glance. She noticed that not too far away from them, there was a stack of small boulders. A smile slowly forming on her lips, she picked up one of the small boulders and threw it onto one of the pathways. As soon as the rock came into contact with the pathway, it collapsed and fell into the darkness below. Though it was a mere 20 feet, the darkness made it look as though it was a bottomless pit. Wendy repeated the process on all the other pathways, a few of them giving the same result. After completing the task, Three pathways remained. Three possible choices. At least one of them would lead them to a stable platform. All the group had to do was hope for the best. Who knew? Maybe luck would be on their side. Or maybe not.

"Let's try the one on the right first," Said Dipper, slowly walking towards the pathway. It was narrow, but wide enough so that he could easily keep his balance and walk on it normally. That was a relief. As good as he was at hunting paranormal, parkour is one of the skill he hadn't the time to improve. How he regretted turning down Nate's offer to teach him. He would simply have to wing it.

As soon as they had reached the end of the pathway, they stepped onto the next platform. Thankfully it was stable. Dipper looked behind him, only to see that Thompson was still at the first platform. His face showed fear. He was shaking. He stood in his place, not willing to move across the narrow pathway. Thinking quickly, Dipper had assumed that Thompson may have been afraid of heights.

His assumption was correct.

"G-g-guys, I-I-I don't think I c-c-can d-do this," Thompson said, his words leaving his mouth in a stuttered mess, "The pathway i-is p-pretty narrow. I-I could easily f-fall off," he said, the fear evident in his voice. Soon, it had dawned on all them that Thompson was afraid of heights. It may have been the reason he was so quiet. Dipper was only thankful that Bill had decided to let them take their time for this challenge. Had he given them a time limit, they would never make it.

"Come on Thompson! You can do this! Just don't look down," Robbie yelled. Though not in anger, but to reassure his friend that the pathway was wide enough for him to walk across easily. Thompson may have been on the chubby side, but he was not that fat. Walking across this pathway would be easy enough for him.

And yet, he was still not moving from his place on the platform. He was too frozen in fear to move. Robbie had tried reassuring him, telling him to just not look down, but Thompson showed no response. He could not help but imagine what would happen to him, should he fall. He could not help but picture himself, impaled by the spikes that await 20 feet under. It was the most nerve racking thing he had ever experienced.

And in some stroke of bad luck, or perhaps Bill Cipher's magic, the sides of the pathway crumbled and fell into the darkness below. The pathway was even narrower! As if thompson was not scared enough, the pathway was now too narrow to walk across normally. One would have to be extremely cautios when crossing it, so as not to lose balance. It was surely the end of the line for Thompson. That much had been made clear.

"No!" Dipper suddenly yelled, "You're gonna get through this Thompson! Trust yourself!" he continued, still yelling.

And yet, Thompson dared not move an inch. It was as thought the pathway was slowly getting thinner and thinner. The fear had been playing tricks on his mind. He had become so hung up on the idea that he could not do this, that it clouded his judgement.

Dipper would not let his friend die! With steady feet, he slowly started moving across the pathway back towards the direction of the first platform. Being careful not to lose his balance, while also not looking down. The pathway, stretching merely 10 feet between the two platforms, had seemed like miles. Dipper stopped in the center of it, looking straight into Thompson's eyes.

"Thompson, you can do this. Have faith in your abilities," Dipper said, his eyes not moving away from the scared teen.

For what felt like hours, but in reality was only five minutes or so, Dipper spoke again.

"Thompson. Don't let fear control you. Don't think about what happenes when you fall. Think about what happens when you don't. You can make this Thompson. All you need to do is trust yourself, and trust me. Now walk!" Dipper said, yelling the last part, all the while still staring into Thompson's scared eyes. Dipper held out his hand, urging him to move forward.

At last, Thompson began to move. and slowly, but surely, he began walking across the narrow pathway. His balance seemed to waver a bit, causing everyone to tense up, but Thompson had regained his balance and kept moving forward, to everyone's relief. As soon as he reached the center, Dipper grabbed his hand, and quickly moved back to the second platform. All the while making sure Thompson did not fall.

They finally reached the platform, which caused all the teens to cheer for Thompson.

"Let's not get too happy just yet guys. There are still quite a few platforms to go," Dipper said sternly, yet in a calm manner before continuing, "and from the looks of it, we may have chosen the right path to take," he said with a smile on his face. His smile fell however, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw an orange ball of light hurdling towards them. It was as if he was in slow motion when he spoke.

"Get down! everyone!" He yelled and, sure enough, everyone ducked just as a flame tip arrow flew right above their heads. It was only about an inch above Thompsons head by the time he ducked. It was so silent and fast that even the piercing of flesh would probably not have been heard. The initial shock had caused them all the lay on the platform, motionless. They quickly regained their composures however, and began jumping to the next platform. Thankfully, Dipper had calmed Thompson down enough to make him jump. It was quite the surprise really. But of course, being the group leader, Dipper had a way to make everyone feel confident. There was the ever so reluctant glance downwards every time it was Thompson's turn to jump from one platform to another, but he had still managed.

By now, they were already half way through the chamber. They of course had many close calls with the flame tip arrows. At first they seemed random, but as the team progressed through the chamber, they began to see a pattern. Jump, jump, duck, jump, duck, jump jump, duck. It was quite a relief that the arrows had not changed their pattern so far, for they merely had a few platforms left until they would reach the other side of the chamber. It was a small victory on their part.

A victory that did not last long.

As soon as the group reached the end of the chamber, they realized that one of them had been left behind. Pacifica sat, about 5 platforms away, crying in pain. An arrow had struck her in the shoulder. In too much pain to make any noise, she sat there, helpless. At that particular platform, she was supposed to be the last to jump. It did not work in her favor however, as the sound of Lee's feet hitting the next platform shut out what little sound the arrow had made when piercing her shoulder. And of course, the group had not looked back at that time.

"Someone get over here and help me!" she yelled, finally finding the strength to speak. She sat there with a bleeding wound, unable to move. She only hoped that someone would at least try to help. She was not going to be left to die here! She looked almost calm, but inside she was screaming for someone to come to her aid. Dipper, wendy, anyone!

It was only after a few seconds did the group notice Thompson Jumping towards her, a look of determination on his face. He was doing it! He was actually doing it!

Once he had reached her, he took off his shirt and tied it around the wound, trying to stop her from bleeding. After securing the makeshift gauze around her shoulder, he picked her up as if giving her a piggy back ride. With the look of determination still not leaving his face he jumped from platform to platform, slowly so as not to loose his balance and get them both killed.

It was then that the group had realized that all the platforms were crumbling away.

"Thompson hurry up! The platforms are all gonna fall," Wendy all but yelled. Her voice was dripping with worry. She did not want either of them to die, but at the moment, no one could do anything. It was all down to Thompson. Could he make it?

Thompson was slowly losing ground as he was jumping from platform to platform. When he just about reach the end, his platform sunk slightly, and he did not jump high enough to reach the end of the chamber, despite his arm being lifted above his head. He was certain that it would be the end of both him and Pacifica. He had tried and failed to save her, and it would cost them both their lives. All Thompson did was wait. Ready to be impaled by the spikes that would await him after 20 feet of falling.

But the pain never came.

"Hold on Thompson! I got ya buddy!" Robbie yelled, using every ounce of his strength to hold both Thompson and Pacifica up. Dipper and Nate had joined him, but Thompson was a bit heavy, and with Pacifica on his back, they were struggling. But they were pulling him up, slowly, but surely.

Pacifica was slowly losing consiousness.

They had to hurry if they wanted to save both of them! Too late and Pacifica would surely fall to her death! Dipper would not forgive himself if that happened. He would not be able to live knowing that the love of his life died such a greusome and horrid death. With one mighty tug from Lee, they pulled both the teens onto the final platform of the chamber. To safety.

They had done it! They all reached the end of the chamber safe and sound! They were all cheering over their victory. They had overcome yet another challenge that Bill Cipher had thrown at them. Their happiness however, was short-lived as the sudden realization dawned them.

Pacifica was losing too much blood.

There was no way to save her. Thompson's shirt was not enough! She was not going to make it!

A white light suddenly blinded them all. After it had subsided, and the teenagers regained their visions, they noticed that Pacifica was laying on the floor. Unconsious, but fully healed. Was this the work of Bill's magic?

That question was answered.

"Well done Pine Tree. That was entertaining to watch. You may be wondering why I healed your little girlfriend, when I could have easily left her to die," Bill said, only his voice being heard, "Well think of it as a reward for finishing the second challenge of my labryinth," he said in his unsettling voice. He continued in a darker, distorted tone, "Do not think for a second that you'll ever get something like this again! This is the last time you'll get a reward for completing one of my challenges. Aside from the one wish at the end of course," His voice suddenly went back to normal as he continued, "Good luck on the next challenge Pine Tree! You'll need it! And remember, I'm always watching!" He said before disappearing.

After the teens entered the third chamber of the labryinth, they had decided that it was good time to rest and regain their strength. They would need it for the challenges to come.

They all slumped down to the floor, exhausted and worn out. Pacifica was still asleep, but Dipper had carried her into the chamber, before putting her down and resting next to her.

He was glad that he and his friends made it out of that mess alive. He was glad Thompson had overcome his fear of heights. He was glad they had become closer as a team.

But most of all, he was glad that Pacifica lived.

* * *

 **That was a long chapter! 4.8k words! That is the most I have done so far in a single chapter. I'm glad I finished it though! Please review if you find any errors! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6: Maze Runners: Part 1

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

* * *

Maze Runners: Part 1

Despite the situation, the teens were all resting peacefully. The chamber they were in was small, is if it was intended to be a room for the them to rest in. At the far wall was a large doorway, beyond it complete darkness. The darkness that consumed the inside of the the large doorway was quite unsettling. Luckily, none of the teens had looked at long enough to notice how eerie it really was. On the wall to the right of the doorway, there was a small table. The table seemed to have 9 plates on it, each plate containing an assortment of fruits and in front of each of them, labels. Each label contained the name of one of the teenagers that were all sleeping at the wall opposite of the table. Perhaps Bill did not want them to die of hunger. Or perhpas the fruits were poisoned. Giving the teens the choice to die of hunger, or to be poisoned. Neither of those deaths seemed like peaceful ones.

Dipper had been woken up by the sudden movement next to him. The inside of the temple was dark, but he could still make out his surroundings. He looked beside him to see none other than the Blonde angel cuddled up next to him. He could not contain his blush. He slowly turned his body around, so that he could be face to face with this beautiful girl. She looked peaceful in her sleep. Like a sleeping beauty. Ready for her spell to be broken by a kiss from her prince.

Dipper could not help himself.

He slowly leaned in and planted a gentle, yet firm, kiss on her forhead. Her soft skin felt good on his lips. He lingered there for a few moments before slowly leaning away from her face. She had not been woken up by Dipper's kiss, and he was thankful for it. He may have been courageous enough even so much as think about kissing her in her sleep, but he was not all too sure about explaining his actions, should she wake up.

He did not want to think about it as he slowly closed eyes, sleep taking over. But not before he felt a pair of soft lips touch his. He felt like he was in heaven. He slowly opened his eyes, the need to sleep all but forgotten. Of course the blonde had noticed that he was awake and quickly pulled away. Embarrased that she lost control of herself. She was about to mutter an apology, but was cut off by Dipper's ever so soft lips crashing into hers. It was brief, yet sweet and gentle. All she could do was stare at him, with wide eyes. Not believing that the boy of her dreams had willingly kissed her.

"I love you too, Pacifica," He said quietly, the smile never leaving his face as he said those words. Of course, in his mind he was doing a victory dance. He had just kissed the blonde angel that he had dreamed about every night since the summer of 2012. Why wouldn't he be happy?

Without hesitation he kissed her yet again. This time, it lasted longer and was filled with as much passion as two fourteen year olds could muster up.

Oh how they had both dreamed of this happening. Of course, they had not expected it to be in a temple of doom where sudden death lurked around every corner. But the moment was still beautiful, none the less. And this time, Pacifica was absolutely sure that it was real. Not just a dream. Not a fantasy. She was actually kissing Dipper pines.

Before anything else could happen, Dipper pulled away. The smile never leaving his face. Pacifica looked into his eyes and once again got lost in them. Too lost to notice anything else at that moment, other than how beautiful those brown orbs were.

Without waiting for a response, he simply laid back down. His back facing her as he slowly closed his eyes. This time, sleep actually did overcome his senses. But not before he muttered a few words to the girl that was laying down with him.

"Sweet dreams, my angel," he said in a whisper that sent chills up Pacifica's spine. Dipper's voice had always had that effect on her. Be it when he was raising his voice to a monster in the forest, or if he was simply whispering her name, like now.

"I love you, Dipper Pines," She said whispering before hugging him from behind while he slept. After A few minutes, she had succumbed to the calmness of sleep, and slowly drifted away into dreamland. The smile never leaving her face. If she were to die right then and there, she would die a happy girl.

Of course, who's to say that she wouldn't die soon in the demon Cipher's labyrinth?

* * *

Dipper had been the first to wake up, thankfully. He did not want to explain to the rest of the group why he was laying there, cuddling the blonde Northwest. Of course he knew why he was there. He remembered the events of the previous night. It would have been too much for his friends to take in considering their situation. At that moment, their top priority was to make it out alive. No figure out that their leader had been fooling around with the Northwest the previous night would surely bring them further apart as a team. He would not let them find out. He only hoped that Pacifica would not mention anything they had done that night.

Dipper walked to the large table that he had seen the previous day, before falling asleep of course. On it were several plates, each containing assortments of fruit. But was most odd was that next to each plate was something similar to that of a name tag. Each of these name tags had a name written on them. Their names.

To think that Bill Cipher would treat them to something like this was unthinkable. Unless he laced them with poison. Dipper tried not to think about it as he reached for a grape from his plate. The name tag read Pine Tree, so he had only assumed it was his. He never understood why Bill Cipher used code names for them. It was quite odd. As if he had known that Dipper and Mabel would end up in gravity falls and would eventually face him.

He cautiously ate the single grape that he had plucked form the pile. It did not sport an odd taste, so he was sure it was not poisoned. He was not so sure about the rest of the plate though. Perhaps only some of the fruits were poisoned and the rest weren't. Was that how Bill wanted this to be? A Russian roulette with the food he served them? The very thought caused Dipper to cringe in disgust. If Bill wanted eating to be a test of luck, he would surely make it happen. That much was for certain. It had never even crossed Dipper's mind that the dream demon would even so much as think about offering them any kindness without there being a catch.

But come to think of it, he had healed Pacifica's wound completely after they completed the parkour challenge. He even went as far to conjur a new shirt for Thompson. It look identical to the one he had used for Pacifica's wound. Though he did say it was a reward for completing the challenge. But why had he not rewarded them for the first challenge? Was it the fact that it was, or at least he thought, easy?

Of course, doing so out of the kindness of his heart would have been unlikely. Bill only did things when they would benefit him. Besides, who's to say the infernal demon even has a physical heart? Perhaps he was trying to gain their trust so that hurting them would be even more unpleasent. Dipper could not say. All he could do was hope that none of the food was poisoned.

He stiffened up when he felt thin arms wrap around his torso from behind. He knew immdiately who it was, and smiled.

"Good morning, sleepy head," he said with a gentle voice. He tried to say so quietly so that he would not wake the other teens. From the looks of it, they were almost as exhausted as him. They would surely wake up soon.

Thankfully Pacifica released Dipper from her grip, and stood next to him examining the various assortments of fruit.

"Good morning to you too, Dipper," she said calmly, surpirse evident in her eyes. She had obviously not expected Bill of all creatures to offer them such kindness. She seemed wary of the fruit, as though getting too close would trigger an explosion. But when it came to Bill, the possibilites were endless.

"I already ate a grape, so I know they aren't poisoned. Most of them anyway. Who knows? Bill could have made this a Russian roulette," Dipper said calmly. Though he would not admit it, he was too scared to try his luck with another piece of fruit. Despite how fresh they looked, he did not want to risk being poisoned.

But his desire to sate his hunger was at odds with his wariness and fear. He risked grabbing another grape and slowly eating it. Like the first one he ate, it was not poisoned. Thankfully.

"I don't know Dipper. Bill did heal my injury. It probably didn't look like it, but I was still consious. Sort of," she said, skeptically. Of course it seemed odd that someone like Bill Cipher would do something out of kindness. He probably healed Pacifica so that he could see her die in an even more greusome manner. Neither of them could possibly tell.

"Man, I slept like a rock," they suddenly heard Mabel's voice. Once she noticed Dipper and Pacifica standing next to each other, a little close if you asked her, she smiled knowingly. Had she seen what they had done the previous night? Would she tell the rest of the group?

"Mabel, why are you smiling at us like that?" Pacifica asked warily. Though she may have seemed calm, she was scared that Mabel had seen her and Dipper the previous night, and would tell the rest of the group. Of course she had let out a sight of relief when Mabel spoke again.

"Don't worry guys, your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone you were sucking face last night," she said, whihc caused both teens in front of her to blush deep shades of red. Of course, it did have something to do with the manner in which she said it. But mostly it was over the fact that she had seen them. That was not how they pictured her finding out, "To tell you the truth, I kinda saw that this was more than just a simple friendship. They don't call me the best matchmaker for nothing. I can see when people like each other. It's like a sixth sense," she said with a silly expression on her face. Which caused both Dipper and Pacifica to laugh, and Mabel to join them soon after.

"Aw, sweet! Breakfast!" came Nate's voice. He had woken up at the sound of laughter, but that had become the least of his concerns once he saw the tables full of food. Of course this had set off alarm bells in Dipper's head. He still had not known whether or not the fruit was poisoned, and he did not want to find out this way.

"Don't eat the fruit dude. This is a demon we're talking about here. He could have poisoned some of them and made eating a game of luck," Dipper said warily. He was not ready for Nate to die, of all people. Next to his sister and Pacifica, Nate was probably the closest to Dipper. He could not live with himself, should Nate die in this temple of doom.

"Okay. I never thought about that. Being hungry messes with your head," he said.

"You got that right," came Wendy's voice. It seemed as though all of them had finally woken up, and heard what Dipper had said to Nate.

"So now eating has become a gamble? Only our lives are what we're gambling for?" Tambry asked annoyed. Though she may have already known the answer. This was a demon they were talking about.

"I wouldn't want to die from poison. I already consider myself lucky for making it out of the parkour challenge," Thompson said.

"Dude, you saved Pacifica. She would have fallen off if you didn't go after her," Robbie said. He was surprised at the time when Thompson was the one to rescue her. It was amazing to see that he could look passed his fears to save his friends. It filled Robbie with pride to see Thompson acting so brave. Of course he would never in all his life say that out loud.

"I know, but that was adrenaline, dude. I don't think I could do that again. Heights scare me," Thompson said, his voice filled with a mixture of fear and worry.

"Thompson, you're scared of everything," Mabel said with a giggle. The statement caused the whole group to laugh. Even Thompson. It felt good to finally laugh. They were glad Mabel was with them. Being in the face of death, they needed someone silly enough to entertain them. Mabel and her silliness were always worthy of a few good laughs. Dipper smiled at the thought of her silliness. But his thoughts were interupted when they heard Bill's creepy voice.

"Well well well. Looks like all of you are awake. You're lucky I actually let you rest for that long. But you will need all of your energy for the next challenge. Which is why I so kindly offered all of you the chance to eat. Starvation is probably one of the most boring deaths ever. I'd much rather prefer you die in one my challenges! And I know what you're thinking. None of them are poisoned. Poison is overrated," he said as though watching the death of others was a form of entertainment. Of course, Dipper had expected that, if he food was not poisoned, it would be for something like this. He wanted them to die in worse ways than poison or starvation. The very thought made Dipper cringe in disgust at the demon.

"How can we trust a crazy dorito?" Lee asked, annoyed at the demons behavior. Of course he had thought about how said demon had healed Pacifica's injuries. But he had proven that the purpose of doing so was for his own entertainment.

"You're right! You can die of hunger! The choice is yours!" Bill said as though it were a joke. But to him, everything was a joke, so the teens were not surprised by the statement, "Eat up while I explain the challenge. You see, I thought it would be a bit funny to see all of you running through a maze like the inferior rats you are, so that's exactly what's gonna happen! The chamber with the maze is about 3 times larger than the first chamber you were in, so good luck! Oh, and beware of the...Creatures of the maze! You're in luck though, because if one you finds the exit, you all get teleported to it. Good luck! You'll need it! And remember, I'm always watching!" he said before his voice faded. The fact that he had outright insulted them was the least of their worries. They had to run through a maze. And worst of all, there were possibly deadly monsters inside of it! What had they done to deserve this?

"Well. I guess we'd better eat. We'll need the energy to get through this maze," Dipper said calmly. How hard could this challenge possibly be? He had gone through hedge mazes before. This would not be any different. Save for the size difference and the fact that this one had monsters lurking inside it. Ready to kill anyone who dared tresspass in their territory. Dipper had only hoped that there was no time limit. That would make the challenge all the more Difficult. Be it five hours, or five days, he would not be at ease knowing that death awaited them one way or another, should they fail to complete the challenge within a set time.

"I guess you're right, Dipper," came Pacifica's voice. She may have been calm on the outside, but on the inside she was fearing for not only her life, but for her friends as well. To die inside a maze where your friends would possibly never find you was something she did not like to think about. It was one thing to be facing death, but to do so alone? Unthinkable!

The team had quickly began digging into their respective plates. It felt good to have a full stomach after the challenges they had faced. It was especially refreshing, considereing the fact that the fruit was quite fresh. True to his word, Bill had not poisoned them. Much to Dipper's relief.

After finishing their meals, the team stood at the entrance of the maze. They had finally noticed how eerie the darkness within it was. They would have to get through this, all the while avoiding the horrid creatures that lurked around the dark corners of the maze. what were they to do, should they face one of the creatures that resided inside the maze?

Their question was answered as, quite suddenly, a rack full of different forms of weaponry appeared out of thin air. It seemed to be floating in mid air. Could these be used to fight off the wretched beasts within the maze? That question was answered, as Bill's voice filled the chamber yet again.

"You guys gonna just stand there? Go on! Take your pick! These monsters love it when their meals go down with a fight!" he said before laughing. After that his voice faded.

"I call the spear!" Mabel said enthusiastically grabbing it. She was surprised at how light i was. She expected it to be quite heavy from how it looked. She backed away from the group, and started swinging the spear around. It looked as though she had been trained her whole life on how to use it, "It's kind of like baton twirling," she said, smiling.

"I guess I'll stick with the sword than," Dipper said, grabbing the sword. It too had been quite light despite how it looked. After grabbing it, he swung it at the stone wall near them, leaving a large crack, "Sweet!" he exclaimed. This would surely make the challenge significantly easier. Dipper had been trained on how to use a sword by one of the friendlier creatures of the forest. Handling this one would not be a problem.

"Is that an AK-47?" Lee said, eyeing the assault rifle. He picked it up and shot at a vase not far from them. He had expected it to shatter upon pulling the trigger, but what had happened caused quite the shock for the entire team. The assault rifle did not fire bullets. It fired what looked like laser beams. He looked back at the weapons rack and noticed a small bag. Ammunition, most likely. He picked it up and opened it. It was ammunition. It was full of magazines of what look like blue liquid. He did not want to find out.

Lee had learned how to handle a gun from his father of course. His father had been in the military and knew all about different guns. He had taught Lee everything he knew about assault rifles. Lee could strip the gun down and put it back together in about a minute. Of course he had never handled an AK-47 that had laser beam magazines, but did it really matter when it was the only weapon available to him that he knew how to use?

"I'll go for that hatchet. My dad taught me how to fight with one. I don't know why, but I guess it'll come in handy in this maze," came Wendy's voice. True, her father had taught her how to fight using a hatchet. It was quite unusual to her.

"You never know when you're gonna encounter a wild animal in the forest, Wendy" was what her father would say to her during every practice session. Of course during her practice, she would use a rubber hatchet on her father. A precaution, so that she would not seriously injure him of course.

"Why would your father teach you how to use a hatchet? It seems like a useless skill unless you join the army or something," Tambry asked, the sarcasm intended but not evident in her voice.

"Well why would your dad teach you how to use a combat knife?" Wendy asked rhetorically, throwing the knife at Tambry, who caught it with ease.

"For self defense. You never know when someone could break into your house. And considering the fact that I live in Gravity Falls, it would do me good," she stated.

"Remind me never to get any of you mad," Robbie said, the fear evident in his voice. The statement caused Tambry to smirk evilly at him. She had found his weakness. Of course, had they not been forced to go through a maze inside a temple of death, she would have teased him.

"This mace should come in handy. It cant be harder than using a bat," Nate said as he picked up the mace. It had been lighter than he expected, and he had nearly thrown it across the room when he swung it. It was odd that these weapons were so light. It may be Bill's idea of a joke. To give them defective weapons that would be of no use to them. Of course, Lee's laser beam assault rifle had convinced them that the weapons would function properly.

"Aw sweet! Brass knuckles! I've always wanted one of these!" Robbie exclaimed happily. Why he would want brass knuckles was beyond the team, but if he knew how to use them properly, it would not matter why he wanted them. Escaping this alive was their top priority. They would need all the defense they could get.

"I guess I'll stick with this crossbow. I know how to use a bow and arrow, so my aim is pretty good. This is easier to handle, so it should not be a problem," Pacifica said. She grabbed the crossbow, and fired at a jutted out stone on the far wall. The crossbow bolt hit it's mark dead on. She was not lying when she said her aim was pretty good. She grabbed the quiver of metal crossbow bolts and strapped it onto her back. There may have been about 50 bolts. Surely that would be enough to get through the maze. Or so she hoped.

"Guys, I don't know if I'll be able to handle this weapon and use it right," Thompson said, holding what looked like a scythe. Easily one of the best looking weapons of them all. The blade part of the weapon was blood red and looked jagged. The handle was black and sturdy. Despite what it looked like, it too was light and easy to handle.

"Come on Thompson. You don't need to know how to use it. If you see a monster, just start swinging it! Aim for the head if you can. That'll do the trick!" Dipper said with a smile. He tried to sound reassuring. It seemed to have worked as Thompson visibly relaxed.

'If you see a monster, just start swinging it' Dipper's voice echoed in his mind. This was going to be one the most nerve racking challenges he would face. The fact that it was a maze already put him at unease. But to know that monsters lurked within in made matters worse.

"Okay. I just need to get used to the feeling of it in my hand," Thompson said cautiously. He seemed to be able to handle it with ease, as it was light like all the other weapons.

The team slowly began making their way towards the entrance. Once they all entered, the doorway behind them sealed shut, and lights above head were switched on. The team looked up to see where the light was coming from. They looked like glowing crystals. Of course they had no time to think about it they heard Bill's voice.

"Finally! I was beginning to think you all chickened out! Glad to see you haven't! Now there's one more thing you need to know! You only have 4 hours to complete this maze! Trust me. You don't want to know what happens after 4 hours!" Bill said before his voice faded, all the while he was laughing like a maniac.

There was a sudden flash of light that left as quickly as it came. When the teens regained their visions, they noticed their wrists all had what looked like watches. There was a timer on each. After a few seconds, they heard a demonic voice.

"Three! Two! One! Begin!" the voice said, before the timers started counting down from four hours. The challenge had begun.

"Okay guys! I have a plan! Bill said that if one of us finds the exit, we all get out. So we should split up into equal groups of three! Me and Mabel with Pacifica. Robbie and Tambry, you guys go with Wendy! Nate, you're with Lee and Thompson! By splitting up, we might find the exit faster!" Dipper all but yelled. After wishing each other good luck, they split up into three separate directions.

"Come on girls! Follow me!" Dipper said. Mabel and Pacifica didn't object and started following their leader through the maze. It may be because she was too hopeful, but Pacifica was certain that if the others didn't find the exit, Dipper would surely lead them to safety.

But one could only hope for the best in situations like these.

* * *

 **Yet another long chapter! Sorry if this was a bit of a cliffhanger. There will be a second part of this challenge. Maze Runners: Part 2! Thanks for reading! Review if you found any errors please.**


	7. Chapter 7: Maze Runners: Part 2

**I in no way own Gravity Falls or any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

* * *

Maze Runners: Part 2

Pacifica and Mabel had been following Dipper for an hour before they actually ran into one of the monsters that Bill had promised would be in the maze. It looked similar to a grizzly bear, save for the fact that it did not walk on all fours. It also had the face of an ape. It was indeed hideous. As soon as it saw the trio, it had launched itself towards them. Being quick, the three managed to jump out of harms way. The combined power of a sword, spear and crossbow were too much for it. The trio had managed to kill it quite easily. It surprised Dipper as much as it had filled him with ease. After they had killed it, it disappeared in black smoke. If all the monsters lurking in the maze were that easy to kill, then the only real challenge would be finding the exit. Or so they had hoped.

After running for another half an hour, they had decided to take a break and regain their energy. Dipper looked at his watch timer to see that they had 2 and a half hours left to get out of the maze. Time gone by so quickly that they barely even noticed almost half of theirs had been spent running around the huge maze. And they've yet to find an exit.

"Damn it! Nearly half of our time lost and we still haven't found a way out!" Dipper exclaimed, getting up from his sitting position, "Come on girls, let's move on. We can't waste anymore time sitting around," he said sternly. He only hoped that the others were holding their own. If anyone them were to die inside a maze where they would possibly never be found, he could never forgive himself. Dipper continued on, taking various turns without thinking. Of course that had not worked at all in getting them closer to the exit.

"Dipper, this is a dead end," Mabel said annoyed. Dipper knew that the situation was getting serious if Mabel, of all people, was annoyed. He glanced at his wrist watch to see that it had reached the 2 hour mark.

Half of their time gone and they were at a dead end. Nowhere to go but back where they came from. It was annoying how tedious mazes could get sometimes. Dipper tried not to let the frustration cloud his judgement. What would become of Mabel and Pacifica if he had no control over his emotions? They would surely have a harder time escaping the maze.

After walking for what seemed like minutes, they encountered another monster. It was completely identical to the previous one they had faced. It even behaved the same way. It charged at them at full speed. It's heavy body however caused it to lose control. It crashed into a wall because the trio had side stepped it. Dipper seized the opportunity, and impaled it in the head with a quick and powerful thrust. Death came almost immediately for the creature.

They continued through the maze, trying as best as they could to remember what each pathway looked like. So that they could make a mental map of the maze. That however, was easier said than done. Almost every wall looked the exact same down to the very cracks on it.

The monsters they faced had become more and more frequent. Of course, killing them had been easy, but it got Dipper thinking.

Could it be that they were closer to the exit than they thought? It would have have made sense. the monsters were in the maze to guard the exit. If the amount of monsters they encountered increased, surely it meant that they were closer to what they were guarding.

"Girls, I think I know why there has been a steady increase in the amount of monsters we've encountered," Dipper said, just after he had pulled his sword out of a monsters chest, "I think the reason we're encountering so many monsters, is because we're closer to the exit" he said wiping the monster's blood off the sword with his shirt.

The girls stared at him in confusion, wanting an explanation. Of course, Dipper saw it in their eyes that they had no idea how he could link the amount of monster's to how close they were to the exit.

"Think about it girls. The monsters are in this maze to guard the exit. It would make sense for the amount of them to increase as we get closer to the exit. All we need to do is follow the pathways that take us towards the monsters, instead of going opposite to them," Dipper said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The more Pacifica thought about it, the more it made sense to her. Living in a mansion with guards, she knew that only the most important parts of the mansion were guarded. It made sense that the most important part of the maze, the exit, was heavily guarded.

"You're actually making sense for once Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed, hugging the stuffing out of him. He was turning blue due to lack of oxygen from how strong Mabel's hug was.

"Mabel, I don't think he's breathing," Pacifica said giggling. If not for Mabel's silliness, they would surely not have made it this far. Everyone needed a good laugh once in a while. Especially in situations like the one they were in.

"Thank you Pacifica," Dipper said, breathing heavily. After the air returned to his lungs, they continued towards what they hoped was the exit. If Dipper was right, he would surely lead them to safety. But what if he was wrong? Pacifica tried not to think about it. This plan was the only one they had, and they would die anyway if they didn't at least try.

"All I hope is that the others don't die before we reach the exit," Dipper said, worry evident in his voice.

Pacifica and Mabel had felt the same way. They only hoped that the others could hold their own against the monsters of the maze.

Glancing at her watch timer, Mabel saw that it had reached the hour and a half mark. She hoped Dipper was right, or else they may well have been heading straight towards their doom.

* * *

Tambry grunted as she pulled her combat knife out of the grizzly bear-like creature's eye. That had been the third one her, Wendy and Robbie had encountered within that wretched maze. They nearly got rammed when they encountered their first monster. Wendy had taken care of it however, when she threw her hatchet straight at the beast's head. Once it had been killed, it disappeared in black smoke.

They encountered their fourth monster when their timers had reached the 2 hour mark. Robbie took a shot and punched it straight in the face as soon is it had turned around. He continued punching until he was sure the beast was as good as dead. It disappeared after he got off of the it's belly, and they continued through the maze.

"These things are easier to kill than I expected," Robbie said, before dodging yet another grizzly creature. Tambry took her opportunity to strike and impaled the monster in the back of the head. She quickly jumped off of it's back and the teens continued onward.

"I know. It almost seems too easy, and I don't like it," Wendy said warily. Of course one would be wary when a demon such as Bill Cipher gave them an easy challenge. It was unthinkable. Perhaps there would be a giant standing at the exit. Waiting for the someone to come by and be it's lunch.

"I know. I'm suspicious too. But we have to keep moving, because I think I know how we can get to the exit," Tambry said, as she cleaned her knife with the bottom of her shirt.

"Really? That's awesome, Tambry! Come on, tell us your plan!" Robbie said excitedly. All he wanted was to get out of that wretched maze. It had started making him dizzy. Almost every wall looked identical. There was nothing specifically different about any of them. There was no way anyone could make a mental map of the maze. It was impossible. Although, this may have been Bill's intentions. He did not want them to get out too easily. But then again, these monsters were easy to kill. Whatever the demon was planning, they could not say. They did know however, that it was far from good.

"Well it's obvious, isn't it? These monsters are here to guard the exit from us aren't they? I bet there are more monsters towards the exit. All we have to do is follow them when we can," Tambry stated as she turned a corner. She had assigned herself leader of their temporary trio. She was leading them through the maze.

They stopped when they had encountered yet another grizzly creature. Only this one had it's back turned to them, and was walking in the opposite direction.

"Let's follow it. It could lead us closer to the exit," Wendy suggested in a whisper. Of course they all had to agree with her. It was their best shot at escaping the maze and freeing everyone else.

The creature turned a corner and the teens started following it. They had turned the same corner just in time to see the beast take a left. The followed it and saw that was beginning to turn around. It was killed however when Wendy yet again threw her hatchet at the beast's head. It disappeared in black smoke just as she pulled her hatched out of the beast's head.

"Tambry are you sure this is gonna work?" Robbie asked, worry evident in his voice as he looked at his timer to see that they had only a hour and a half left to get out of the maze. They would have to hurry if they wanted to get out alive.

"I don't know Robbie. But it's the only plan we have, and we will die here anyway if we don't try something. I'm willing to risk it, are you?" She asked, looking him in the eye. Despite the situation, she blushed ever so slightly. Thankfully, neither of them noticed it.

"Yes, I am." Robbie said with a sincere smile, looking Tambry in the eye. Wendy only glanced between the two before smiling knowingly.

"As much as I like romance, we gotta get going guys," Wendy said, obviously teasing them. The statement caused both Robbie and Tambry to blush slightly.

"Yes. Of course. Come on," Tambry said, leading the group, hopefully towards the exit. She tried as best as she could not to sound flustered. But her best wasn't good enough as Wendy let out a laugh before following their temporary leader.

* * *

"Lee, this is the third dead end you lead us to," Nate said, obviously frustrated. He tried as best as he could to hide the fact that he was annoyed. They had nearly been killed by a grizzly bear ape hybrid of some sorts by the time the timer has reached the 3 hour mark. They now had an hour and forty five minutes left. They had lost count of how many grizzly beasts they had killed. They all died so easily. Of course, they were no match for Lee's gun. All it took was a few shots to the head before one would fall. Of course, as a precaution, Thompson would always stab the beasts in the head. When they died, they would always disappear in black smoke.

Lee had finally emptied his last clip ammo by the time they had encountered yet another beast. As usual, Thompson stabbed the head of the beast as soon as Lee's gun shot it down.

"Dude, I'm sorry, this maze is confusing. I can't even try and make a mental map of this stupid place! Every wall looks the exact same!" Lee shouted, worry and desperation evident in his voice. They had thought about moving towards the other side of the chamber. Taking any route they could that would lead them forward. So far, it had only lead them to monsters and dead ends. But it got Nate thinking.

As silly as Nate could be at times, he was quite observant. If this were the Gravity Falls woods, he could easily lead them to the safety of the town, unharmed. He would remember nearly every detail about the trees, the rocks, or anything they passed so that he could easily lead them back the way they came.

This maze was different though. Lee's words were true. Every wall looked identical. It was almost impossible to tell if there had been any differences at all. For that reason, it was much too hard for Nate to lead them anywhere but dead ends.

All three of them had taken turns leading the others through the maze. None of them even came close to reaching the exit. At that point, they were seriously considering giving up an letting the others find the way out. Bill had said that if one of them finds the exit, they would all be transported there. It would make no difference if they sat there until one of the other groups reached the end of the maze.

And so it had become and unspoken agreement. Hope that the others find the exit so that they could all be transported to freedom.

The amount of monster encounters had seemed to increase steadily, and as Nate clobbered one of the beasts on the head, he had realized something that would have been as clear as day, had he payed a great deal more attention. The beasts were guarding the exit. All they had to do was follow the paths that took them to where the grizzly creatures were! It was so simple, yet so difficult!

"Guys! I got it! These monsters are all here just to guard the exit, right? All we have to do is take paths that lead us to the monsters, and we'll eventually find the exit!" he said excitedly, hoping that his friends would agree with him. It was not as if they were daft enough not to take such a theory into consideration. Especially Lee. Though he may sometimes seem as silly as Nate, he had his moments.

After what seemed like minutes, One of them finally voiced their agreement with the plan, "All right! Looks we got ourselves a plan! Lead the way Nate," Lee said, a smile slowly forming on his face. It was a long-shot, but they had to try. If they didn't, they would die there anyway. It was well worth the risk.

"I hope Dipper and the others have this figured out. I mean, it took us 3 hours to figure it out. They are probably already closer to the exit than we think," Lee said as they began running. With only an hour left on the clock, they had to hurry if they were to make it out alive.

"That won't stop us from at least trying buddy," Nate said as soon as they had encountered another monster. Taking it down was easy enough with the combined power of Thompson's scythe and Nate's mace. Of course, Lee had only watched, for he had run out of ammunition and could not use his weapon.

Of course he did not dispose of it. He still felt safer with a gun in his hands. Even though he knew he would not use it.

* * *

Pacifica had only 20 crossbow bolts left by the time they had encountered the largest grizzly creature they had seen in the maze. It was twice the size of all the other beasts they had encountered inside the maze. It was difficult to take it down, but soon enough, Mabel finished it off when she threw her spear at the creature. The spear had hit it's target dead on as the beast was impaled in the forehead. Mabel claimed her weapon just as the monster disappeared, and they continued towards what they hoped was the exit.

"These ugly things are getting harder to beat," Dipper said, running ahead of the two girls, "If i'm right, we're getting closer to the exit. Pacifica, save those crossbow bolts you have. I expect the end of this chamber to be guarded by the largest grizzly creature in this maze. If not, at least a lot more than just one ordinary beast," Dipper said sternly.

"Okay, Dipper," Pacifica said, running slightly behind him. Mabel was next to Pacifica, who seemed to be running out of breath.

"You alright Pacifica? We can rest if you want us to," Mabel said, concerned for her friends health.

"No, I'm okay. Breathing heavily will keep me going for longer," Pacifica said with a smile on her face. she could very well beat Dipper to the exit. She was very athletic. But she decided that she needed to save her energy if they were to fight what might be the largest grizzly in the maze.

Their timers had reached the 45 minute mark by the time they had reached what looked like a door. Dipper put as much pressure as he could on the door. After a few seconds, he finally managed to get it open. They stepped inside and were greeted by none other than their other teammates. Had they also figured out the secret to beating the maze? It was quite a surprise to see that everyone had made it. Even Lee, Nate and Thompson had made it, albeit a few seconds after everyone else. Once everyone was done with greetings and hugs they glanced around themselves. They were in a room. It was quite large. To the far wall, there was a doorway, the inside consumed by darkness. Could it be that they had found an exit? Had it really been that easy? Dipper had assumed a huge beast would be guarding it. It only seemed likely, considering the fact that Bill Cipher built the maze.

His assumptions were correct as the ground suddenly started shaking. Possibly the largest grizzly any of them had seen emerged from the darkness of the doorway. Once it reached into the room, the doorway had sealed shut, preventing escape. The group had no choice but to face the beast.

It had to have been at least 15 feet tall. It's body was much more muscular than any of the other monsters in the maze. It's face, like all of the other grizzly creatures, was similar to that of an ape. It's teeth, sharp as knives, were sticking out of it's mouth like fangs. It's nostrils were flaring. It's eyes however, were what sent chills up Dipper's spine. They were blood red. The pupils were as black as the night sky during a new moon. After what seemed like minutes, but in reality was only a few seconds, the beast launched it's first attack. It's hand, as wide as a tree trunk, came crashing down. They barely had enough time to dodge the attack. It pulled it's hand back to it's side and let out a deafening roar. It was unlike any animal Dipper had heard. The roar was cut off however, when a crossbow bolt struck it in the shoulder. Another one struck it in the ear, and a third one in the eye.

Dipper looked to his left to see Pacifica reloading her crossbow for a fourth shot. She had hoped it would do at least some damage, but all it did was leave it blind in one eye, aggravated. It took one step forward and performed a similar attack to the first one. It's other hand came crashing down. This time however, the teens were ready for the it. They dodged easily. The beast was getting ready to lift it's hand back up. Dipper saw this as an opportunity to attack he ran towards the beast's hand and rammed his sword into it's palm. The beast growled in agony and shoved Dipper into the far wall. The sheer force of the bow had knocked Dipper out, still gripping his sword.

"Dipper!" Mabel yelled, running to aid him. No matter how hard she tried, she could not wake him.

This was not good! There leader was knocked out, and they didn't have a strategy! They would have to come up with one themselves.

"Guys! We need a strategy!" Nate yelled, dodging the beast's hand yet again.

"Ya think?" Pacifica yelled back sarcastically. Even when facing a 15 foot grizzly ape hybrid beast, she could still be snide and sarcastic.

"Don't start a fight guys! We need to work together! The thing is slow, let's take advantage of it!" Tambry yelled as she ran towards it's feet, dodging a stomp attack. She reached the beasts other foot and began stabbing in different parts of it's foot and lower leg with her combat knife. The beast cried out in agony and crouch down to squish Tambry with it's hand. She managed to get out of the way, resulting in the beast smashing it's fist against it's own foot.

"Yes! Come on guys! I know how we can beat it!" Wendy yelled as she saw what Tambry had done. The beast was indeed slow. If they could get it so somehow break it's own feet, they could kill it easily.

"I'm on to ya Wendy!" Nate yelled as he ran towards the beast's foot. The same one that Tambry had stabbed multiple times. As soon as Nate reached it's foot, he threw a strong blow to it's heel with the mace. The beast roared as it attempted to crush Nate with it's other foot The result however, was not in it's favor, as Nate had expected it, and side stepped easily. This caused the beast to kick it's own heal. Nate was so close, he could hear the bones in it's right toes and left heal cracking.

"Alright! Nice one Nate! Now it's my turn!" Wendy yelled as she began running towards the monster's right foot. She was almost too late to dodge the beast's hand smashing into the ground. The force had caused her to stumble slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and continued moving towards it's foot. Once she reached it, she gave a few blows to fatal pressure points. The grizzly monster attempted to lift that same foot to squish her, only to cry out in agony as Mabel had reached Wendy just in time to push her out of the way and plant her spear into a crack in the ground. The monster had stepped on the spear and it had cut clean through it's foot.

Mabel attempted to grab her spear, only for the monster to lift her up just as she grabbed hold of her spear. No matter how much she squirmed, she could not escape it's grip. It was the end for her. She would not make it out of this. She closed her eyes and waited for the monster to bite into her flesh, and crush her bones.

she suddenly felt herself falling only to be caught by Robbie. She looked up at the monster to see a sword impaling it's hand. She looked to the far wall to see that Dipper had gotten up. Yes! He had saved her by throwing his sword!

Dipper ran towards the beast's foot while it was distracted with the sword impaling it's hand. He grabbed the spear and pulled it out, to the monster's utter pain.

Dipper , with a look of determination on his face, stood directly in front of the beast. It looked as though the beast was going in for another punch attack. But Dipper stood his ground and, with a mighty throw, the spear in his hand was sent flying through the air.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The spear flying straight towards the monster's forehead. The hand that was crashing down towards Dipper. Despite the fact that the spear would surely hit it's mark, Dipper could not dodge the beast's falling hand.

For what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes, the team stared dumbfounded. Dipper had just been crushed by the beast's hand. The spear however, had been lodged into the grizzly's forehead. It was dead. They were all safe now.

The same could not have been said for Dipper. The sudden realization dawned on them, and both Mabel and Pacifica were staring at the dead monster, tears forming in their eyes. Everyone took in the sight before them and starting frowning.

Sadness was replaced with happiness however, as they saw the beast's hand being lifted up and Dipper crawling out from under it. As soon as he had crawled his way out of from under the hand, he let go of it and fell to the ground, exhausted.

"Oh hey guys. How's it going?" was the last thing Dipper said before blacking out.

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 **That was a long chapter! I hope you guys liked the second part of Maze Runners! Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you find any errors!**


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of it's characters. All of it belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch.**

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Secrets

Dipper had woken up to notice the entire team gathered around him. His shirt was torn in some places, and he had a headache. That however, became the least of his concerns when he saw Pacifica looking him straight in the eye. It looked as though she had been crying. He knew not why. what he remembered before he blacked out was a spear flying threw the air, aimed at a horrid hybrid creature. It looked like a cross between a grizzly bear and an ape. He remembered being smothered by something large and fuzzy. He remembered the look of surprise on most of the teens faces. The more he thought about it, the worse his headache got.

What had happened to him before he blacked out? It seemed as though the beast had been killed. He could not tell for sure. He wanted to get up and look around, but he dared not move. Not with the excruciating pain in his head. He closed his eyes, trying as hard as he could to ignore the terrible headache. It was as if his brain was burning from the inside. No matter what he did, it made the pain even worse.

He tried speaking. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Even opening his mouth had worsened the pain. He saw Pacifica looking back at the other teens. She seemed to be saying something, but Dipper could not tell. If she had said something, he had not heard it. After what felt like hours, but was merely a few seconds, his vision slowly started to blur. The faces of his friends and his surroundings became indistinguishable shades of color floating around him. The more he tried to focus, the more his body protested. He tried calling out to them again, but still nothing came out. He could focus on nothing but fighting the pain and exhaustion that overcame his senses.

Finally, his mind had given up it's spar with the devastating pain he felt, mixed with the extreme mental and physical tiredness. He had finally slipped into unconsciousness. Unaware of the happenings of the world around him. His friends faces slipped out of his mind as he drifted off.

Darkness consumed him. He may have been falling, but he could not tell. Everything around him was pitch black. He looked around, but everything was the same. He could not tell whether or not his eyes were open.

And then he saw it. In the distance was what looked like a white light. He did not know how, but he was getting closer to it. He could not feel his legs moving. He could not even feel his body. He felt numb. Every inch of him felt numb. All he could do was watch as the white light got closer and closer to him. Or perhaps he was getting closer to it. He could not tell.

He watched as the white light had gotten so close that it replaced his black surroundings. He tried moving but he was still numb.

There he stood surrounded by blinding white instead of darkness. He could have been falling. He could have been floating. He still could not tell.

His senses returned however, as he now felt as though he was lying down. His eyes were open. He knew it because he could see a blue cloudless sky. The sky of a perfect spring morning. His body was no longer numb. He lifted his hands in front of his face. He had half expected not to see anything. But sure enough, there they were. Two pale white hands in front of his face.

That was when he heard the voices. It was hard to tell whether the voices were male or female. In fact, he could not even tell whether or not they were human. They seemed distorted.

He felt himself being lifted up by gentle arms. He now felt as though he was standing. He gazed around him to notice that he was in a grass field. For what looked like miles, grass filled the land. No trees, no shrubs. Just grass for as far as he could see. He suddenly felt that he could move his legs again. He had not known what he was thinking, but he began to run. Where to, he could not say. He just ran. Away from the voices. Away from the mystery person that had lifted him up. But it was all for naught as the voices only got louder. Louder and clearer.

"Dipper! Dipper wake up! Dipper!" they chanted. He still could not tell whether the voices were male or female. He did know however, that they were human. It seemed to Dipper like many voices speaking as one. Chanting the same thing over and over.

"Dipper! Wake up!" this time, it was a girl. The voice had been loud and clear. Dominant over all other voices. The voice sounded distant yet so close. Familiar yet so strange. Dipper could not tell who it was, yet he felt as though he had known the girl who's voice he was hearing.

He was suddenly shoved back into darkness, the voice of the girl still echoing. Coming from all directions. No matter how hard he tried, he could not figure out who it was.

"Dipper, please! Wake up! I know you can hear me!" this time the voice sounded desperate. The voice contained a mixture of emotions. Sadness, fear, worry, desperation. The voice seemed closer than ever, as though whoever had been speaking was standing right in front of him.

That's when he saw a figure. It was hard to tell who, or what, it was. It was a blurry mess of different colors. What he noticed first was the yellowish color. The figure got closer and closer. It's voice however, had become softer. Gentler.

"Dipper. Please. Wake up. I can't lose you," was what he heard before he suddenly felt himself lying on a surface. Blurry figures surrounding him. The figures had slowly become more and more distinguishable. He tried moving. He moved his head slightly, but immediately regretted it as he felt pain rush threw him. He opened his mouth but words would not come out. Only screams. Screams of pure agony.

The screams died down as he came to his senses. He took in his surroundings. It looked like some sort of temple. Standing around him were people he recognized. One of them sitting at his side. He felt as though he recognized this person the most. He suddenly remembered the blurry figure he saw in his state of...Unconsciousness? He had not known.

That was when the memories rushed through his head. Waking up on some sort of jungle island. Walking into a temple. Fighting a horrid, 15 foot tall beast. Impaling it.

He recognized these people as his friends. The girl that was sitting at his side was the blonde beauty that he loved with all his heart. He tried speaking again, and this time, words actually came out.

"Oooooooh! My head aches like a bitch!" he said, closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore the pain. His statement had caused he entire team to smile. Some of them laughed, relieved that he was okay. The girl in front of him, Pacifica Northwest, kissed him full on the lips. He did nothing but kiss back. Pain all but forgotten as he relished the moment. He would have gone as far as licking her lips, had the sudden realization not dawned him.

His friends were unaware of him and the girl's feelings towards each other.

He broke away from the kiss, eyeing his friends, worry and fear shown on his face. He had not been thinking when he kissed the girl that was now helping him up off the ground. Slowly. His teammates seemed to show mixed reactions. Shock most of all.

But what they had done next had taken him completely by surprise.

They began cheering for him. The girls congratulating him, and the guys winking at him, giving him suggestive smirks.

He would have blushed, had he not felt the sudden pain in his head. They all ceased cheering for him, and ran to his side. The pain seemed to have gotten less excruciating. He should kiss Pacifica more often.

"Sorry dude. We kind of forgot about the headache," Robbie said, sounding worried. His smirk had told a different story though. In fact, everyone seemed to be eyeing him and the blonde girl that was holding his hand. When had she grabbed his hand? Of course, he was not complaining.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Dipper," Mabel said, as she hugged him gently. Sporting a smile wider than Dipper had ever seen before. Witnessing her brother's near death, and revival, had been quite the nerve racking experience. She was filled with relief that he was standing. Slightly injured, but alive.

"Dude, me too. This whole mess has been emotionally exhausting," Nate said, relief evident in his voice. He would not have forgiven himself if someone he considered a brother had died right before his eyes.

"I know. I can't wait until we get out of this mess. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why Pacifica's dad of all people would do this to us. I mean, what was he thinking?" Wendy said, raising her voice slightly towards the end of her statement. Worry mixed with confusion were written all over her. In her expression, in her voice. Even in the way she stood. back slightly hunched, hands balled into fists.

Of course it had all seemed to make sense to Pacifica ever since Bill revealed that it was her father that had ordered to put them through this. She knew that he had been spying on her. She knew that he was aware of her various outings with the Pines boy. He must have had enough after he had seen the two inside that movie theater. She suddenly felt like it was all her fault. The sadness was evident in her expression. That caught the attention of the entire team.

"Yo, Pacifica, what's wrong?" Lee asked sympathetically. Unaware of the fact that Pacifica knew the reason behind this punishment.

She began contemplating on whether or not she should tell them the truth. It was a mental battle between her desire to not betray her friends, and her desire to not be hated by them. She had decided that if she was going to be resented yet again, that she would at least be hated knowing that they knew the truth behind this whole mess. That it was all the fault of her irresponsibility and foolishness.

"I-" She hesitated, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I know why Bill is putting us all threw this torture," she said, much to the teams shock. Despite this, she continued speaking, "In fact, I knew why ever since Bill told us that my dad put him up to it," she said slowly, her voice dripping with sadness.

"How?" came the reply of Wendy, speaking for the entire group. Though Pacifica expected it to be in anger, it was more in confusion. There was even the slight hint of worry, but Pacifica did not notice it.

"I have known for a long time that my dad was spying on me and Dipper. That day at the mall must have been the last straw. He probably told Bill to punish us or torture us. I'm sorry all of you are going through this because of my irresponsibility," Pacifica said, tears forming in her eyes. She had expected them to yell at her. To shun her. Maybe even forget that she existed and just leave here there to die as they continued to fight for their lives until freedom. But she had never expected Wendy, of all people, to pull her into a hug and comfort her.

"Hey hey, don't worry. This isn't your fault. You were having fun with Dipper. It's no ones fault but your dad's. That guy is a raging psychopath," Wendy said, patting the blonde girl's back as she spoke. Her voice reassuring.

Despite that, Pacifica could not shake the feeling of guilt that washed over her. She could not help but feel as though she had betrayed her new friends. Though Wendy's words were true, it was still hard not to think about how foolish it was of her to disregard her father's actions. All of this could have ben avoided, had she taken measures to prevent her father from further messing with her social life. She had screwed up and she knew it.

Yet, here the teens were, offering as much comfort to Pacifica as they could. They truly did not believe it to be her fault. How could they? Pacifica could not have done anything about her father spying on her. She definitely could not have expected him to summon a dream demon to punish all of them for something as small as going out with a boy.

True, he did think of everyone as "not worthy of interacting with his kind", but that was no reason to put them through all of this. Could Bill not see that? What could Preston Northwest have offered Bill Cipher, the most powerful demon in all of the multiverse, in exchange for this? Of course, the fact that Bill was the long time enemy of the Pines family and their friends could have provoked this.

"Whatever your father does has nothing to do with you Pacifica. Sure, it was completely possible for you to stop the whole spying thing, but you couldn't have possibly known that he would summon a deranged triangle demon to torture all of us," Robbie said, trying to be reassuring. It was hard to comfort someone when all he was thinking about was how deranged and crazy Preston Northwest was. He could have handled his daughter in a much less horrific manner. Scolding her, grounding her. Hell, even maybe hitting her a few times would have been much more merciful than the mes they were currently in. Though the very thought of an older man even so much as laying a finger on a girl made Robbie cringe in disgust.

"Yeah, and over what? Just because you were out with a boy? You're father is a psychopath Pacifica. It can't be helped," Lee said.

Pacifica could not help but feel all the more better about herself. The fact that they were so eager to comfort her already filled her with happiness. She truly was lucky to have them. Though they had only recently became friends, it was as if she had known them for much longer. It also helped that they encouraged the relationship to form between her and the Pines boy that had not grabbed her hand.

And to think that she had been scared of everyone disapproving of her feelings towards Dipper.

"I'm glad you're all able to look passed this. Trust me, you have no idea what it's like having a father like mine. But the fact that you guys were so quick to comfort me just made me happy. I know I'm not going to be alone anymore," Pacifica said as tear once again formed in her eyes. Though, they were of sadness. They were tears of joy.

"Oh trust me, I wouldn't leave you alone with Dipper too long. He's nice and all, but his nerd rants can bore a kid with ADHD to sleep," Mabel said, giggling. The statement had caused everyone to laugh, much to Dipper's embarrassment. Though after a few seconds, he could not help but laugh with them. He was glad that Mabel always remained optimistic in any situation. Even when being used as pawns for a demon's entertainment, he still felt a sense of humanity when Mabel was with him. He would not forgive himself if she did not make it out of the mess they were in.

"Okay, okay that's enough. I think it's time we get a move on. This place is creepy and I want out," Dipper said, his voice as stern and serious as it was wary. With everything that had just happened, he almost forgot that they were still part of Bill's sick game, and that they still needed to escape. Mabel had a way of making everyone feel at ease.

The sense of calm had been broken as soon as they had stepped into entrance to the fourth chamber of the labyrinth. Bill's voice had yet again been heard, and the large doorway had been sealed shut as soon as they had entered.

"Well, I can't say I'm not impressed Pine Tree. You completed the third challenge of my labyrinth. you should feel special. It takes a lot to impress someone like me. Anyway, welcome to my fourth, and final challenge," Bill said calmly. He could still not be seen, but his voice was as clear as the sky during a perfect spring day. What reason did he have to hide his appearance?

But those questions were pushed out of his mind as he heard what Bill had said. Could he be telling the truth? Was this indeed going to be the finally challenge they were to face? It would not be foolish to believe the demon at that point. He had been truthful about everything so far. Why would now be any different? Dipper's thoughts were interrupted as Bill continued speaking.

"Before anything else, I just want all of you to know that this challenge will not be easy. The other three challenges can't even compare in difficulty to this one. Once you enter the final chamber of this temple, you will face one of your worst nightmares. Something that every human, in one way or another, fears the most. Something that will surely get the best of some of you," the demon said, his voice remaining calm as he continued speaking, "You will all face yourselves. Everyone has a secret dark side that they don't show to the world. The side of them that they try as hard as they can to suppress. The side with all the bottled up anger, envy, sadness. The part of you that you fear the most. I have nothing else to say, other than good luck. And remember, I'm always watching," was the last thing the teens heard before everything became silent. It had been so quiet that they could hear their own heart beats. The demon truly had a thing for striking fear into the hearts of people. The group of teens was no different than anyone else.

They understood all too well what the demon had said. They were to face the part of their beings that harbored all the hate they bottled up. All the envy. All the sadness. Anything that they tried to hide from the rest of the world. The very embodiment of bottled up emotions that they were ashamed of. Bill was not fooling them when he said that it would be harder than any other challenge they had faced thus far.

But what worried Dipper the most was one thing that Bill had stated, as though it were fact.

"Something that will surely get the best of some you,"

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 **The chapter as slightly shorter than the previous ones, but I'm still proud of it. Review if you find errors please. Thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9: Dipper's Inner Demons

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls or any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch.**

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Dipper's Inner Demons

What could one do when told that they were to face their inner demons? That they were to face what represented every negetive emotion they harbored? The emotions that they try to hide as best as they possibly can?

The teens could do nothing. They were beyond shocked when Bill had told them of the challenge that they were to face. The challenge that, should the demon's words hold truth, be the death of some of them. The very thought made Dipper's blood run cold. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stiffen and it ran chills up his spine. Never before had he been in so much fear. What was he to do if he knew he could not save some of his friends?

He had felt so helpless at that moment. He felt as though he had failed not only himself, but his friends. They relied on him through every step of this god forsaken labyrinth. What would they think at their last moments, knowing that he could not save them?

He had little time to dwell on these thoughts as the chamber started to collapse on them. Without anywhere else to go, the team ran towards the entrance to the final chamber. The chamber in which they would face their fourth and final challenge.

They had barely enough time to make it through the entrance before the entire ceiling collapsed on them. Thompson's leg would have been crushed had it not been for Nate pulling him all the way through.

"Your dad needs a check up from the neck up," Tambry stated as she looked towards Pacifica, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice. Though it was directed not towards her, but towards her father.

"Trust me, I've known that since I learned how to walk," Came Pacifica's reply. And her words were true. Ever since she was a young girl, her father had been constantly pushing her passed her limits. All so she could be the 'perfect Northwest'. It made Pacifica sick to her stomach just thinking about that man. She was ashamed to call him her father. Of course, who wouldn't be ashamed to call him a father?

And her mother was no different. In fact, anyone in Pacifica's position would agree that her mother was worse than her father. Surely those two individuals together could put the devil himself to shame.

"We've no time to talk about that now. We have to move forward," Dipper said in a tone that he thought would remind them of their current situation. Of course, all forms of seriousness had been thrown out the window by then.

"Hey, come on Dipper. Even in the face of death, those two will still be sarcastic. Give them a break," Robbie said, not even trying to hide his smile.

"dude, don't even start. Remember when we met that bear thing with like, 6 or 7 heads? The thing completely lost it when Tambry told him his music sucked!" Lee said, chuckling.

"Yeah," Came Robbie's reply, "That's something I'll never forget. Who knew Dipper liked icelandic pop music?" Robbie said, barely able to contain is laughter. Much to Dipper's embarrassment of course.

"Hey! They're in the top 40 for a reason!" Dipper said. Though his voice seemed to betray him, as it cracked like a sheet of glass under the pressure of a ton of steel. How could puberty be so unkind to someone?

"Whatever you say Dipper. Whatever you say," Pacifica said with a slight chuckle. She had always marveled at the sight of Dipper being flustered. She thought it was cute. Though she would never say that out loud. The teasing she'd receive would be relentless.

"Hey! You're one to talk about music tastes Pacifica! Sev'ral timez is probably the worst boyband in the history of boybands!" Dipper said, though his time his voice seemed to be stable. Had it cracked again, he most likely would not have heard the end of it. Especially from Mabel.

"They are not!" Pacifica replied, unable to hide the deep shade of red that tinted her cheeks. This was a sight that Dipper had come to love over time. Though that was beside the point. She listened to sev'ral timez. That was something that worried everyone. Even Mabel.

"Face it Paz. He's so right. I don't see how anyone can like them," Wendy stated, laughing at the sight of Pacifica being flustered.

"whatever, my words are wasted," came Pacifica's annoyed reply. Though it was mostly directed towards Lee for starting the discussion. Why did he have to mention that incident with the multi-bear? "If we make it out alive, I'm so gonna get you for starting this whole discussion, Lee," Pacifica said.

If they made it out alive.

And that was when not only her, but the rest of the group, remembered their current situation. All seriousness had returned, and each and every one of them sported frowns. Some of them frowns of contempt towards the infernal demon that had thrown them into this mess. Some were frowns of sadness over the fact that they might not make it out alive. All of their hard work had let up to that moment. The moment of truth. They would have to move further into the dark chamber. Most likely to be seperated. Each of them fending off their own personal demons. The task would surely leave scars. Not physical ones, but phsychological ones. Nothing would ever be the same, should all of them make it out alive.

"Well. This is it guys. All of our hard work has led up to this very moment. I don't know what will happen once we go deeper into this chamber. All I know is that we can make it out of this. I know that you guys are strong people. I know you can protect yourselves. But if we don't make it out of this alive, I'd just like you guys to know that's it's been an honor being freinds with you," Dipper said, sadness more than evident in his voice.

"Dipper, I..." Pacifica tried to say something, but her voice betrayed her as she was at a loss for words. What could she have said? The way Dipper spoke filled her with too much sadness. He had spoken as though it were the last time he would speak again. How could anyone respond to that?

"Dipper, I can't believe I'm saying this, but..." Robbie said, pausing to take a deep breath, "I just want you to know that the reason all of us are here is mostly because of you. You're a remarkable leader, and a great friend. If we don't make it out of this alive, I'd be happy to die by your side Dipper, and trust me when I say that all of us feel that way," Robbie said. He was smiling, though the tone in his voice held sadness. It was hard not to feel it knowing that the challenge they were to face would likey be the end of them.

"Yeah Dipper! If we all die today, I'd be happy knowing that you're the one who brought us this far," Nate said putting a supportive hand on Dipper's shoulder.

And so they venture forward. Into the darkenss of the chamber. At some point, all of them had been seperated. They had not known how it happened. But to say that it was expected would have been an understatement. In fact, they'd have been surprised, had Bill not seperated them.

Dipper felt like he had been walking for hours, when in reality, it had been mere minutes. He had long ago lost sight of his friends. To say he wasn't not surprised would have been an understatement. In fact, he would have been surprised, had Bill not seperated them.

He continued walking for a few more minutes. Unsure of where he was going. Everything was dark, yet he seemed to be able to see a figure in the distance. Getting closer, he saw what it jad looked like.

"Hello Dipper. Looks like this is the end of the road for you," the figure said. It looked and sounded exactly like Dipper, yet it still seemed different. Something about it was...Off. Dipper could not tell what it was, but he knew there was something that made it seem so weird.

He remembered the nature of the challenge as he suddenly figured out who the person standing before him was.

"I'm glad we finally got to meet each other Dipper. All these emotions, bottled up inside. They're finally ready to break free," The figure said darkly before taking a single step forward. His voice seemed to have an echo. Like it was bouncing off of the invisible walls surounding the two.

"I'm ready to face you," Dipper said calmly.

"Oh! is that so?" the words seemed to drip venom as Dipper's dark counterpart spoke.

"Yes," Came Dipper's simple reply.

"You think that being calm is going to help you? you think that just because you've said a few words, I can't break you? Face it Dipper, you're not as strong as you think you are. Even your friends see it! You're weak!" the words struck Dipper like knives.

Suddenly, other figures appeared. Surrounding him and his dark counterpart. They looked like his friends. Had they found him in the darkness? Dipper smiled knowing that his friends had been there to help.

His smile quickly left his face as one of them spoke.

"You're not as strong as you think you are, Dipper," said Nate, though his voice seemed to have the same echo that his dark counterpart had.

"You're worthless. I can't believe I even liked you," Pacifica said.

"No wonder Wendy didn't even like you, you're weak!" Came Robbie's voice. Every one of them had the same echo-like effect in their voices.

"He's right! I would be surprised if anyone liked you," Wendy's voice echoed through the darkness. It was then that Dipper noticed they had been slowly moving towards him.

However, he knew that it could not be real. His friends would not even so much as think like that about him, let alone say it to his face. At least, that was what he thought.

"No! You don't mean that! You didn't make me leader for nothing!" Dipper said, raising his voice ever so slightly. After that, the figures suddenly vanished.

"Oh? You think they made you their leader because you're some sort of genius? You think they made you their leader because they actually rely on you? They did it because they felt bad for you! They could have made it out of this mess without you! You're an embarrassment! A fool! You'll never be as great as you think you are, for as long as you live!" said Dipper's counterpart. At that point, he was shouting.

"T-t-that's not true!" Dipper said, trying to sound confident. His voice, yet again, betrayed him as it cracked. He could not hide the fear in his eyes. What if this evil creature was right? Did the team really think of him as en embarrassment? Were they really feeling sorry for him?

"You know I'm right Dipper. I can hear it in your voice! I'm right, and I'm sure that anyone would agree with me. Especially Pacifica!" the words had hit Dipper with such force, he could not even stand upright. He fell to his knees. Tears began to form in his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. He did not want to make himself look weak in front of this demon, but he could not help it.

"N-no! Pacifica loves me and I love her! She doesn't think I'm w-weak!" Dipper replied, tears streaming down his face, though he tried as best as he could to fight them.

"Ha! You actually think that? You're an even bigger fool than I thought you were!" the demon all but shouted the words, not being able to contain the wicked smile. He could see it in Dipper's eyes that he was already breaking. Perhaps everything the demon had said was true. Perhaps Dipper really was not as strong as he thought he was.

"Shut up! Just shut up! Please!" Dipper said, not bothering to hold in the tears.

"Yelling doesn't prove anything Dipper! All you're doing is proving that everything I've said about you is true!" the demon said, slowly making his way closer to Dipper. The closer he got, the paler Dipper's skin got. It was as if all the negetive emotions were sucking the life out of.

"No! No! Stop it!" Dipper said, unable to choke back the sob that escaped his throat.

"You can't hide it from me Dipper! I can see right through you! I am you!" at this point, the demon was about 4 feet away from Dipper.

Dipper could do nothing. His face was as white as a sheet, and he had never felt so helpless. He let out a yell as the demon laughed. It was not standing right in front of Dipper. Less than a few inches away. Dipper was still on his knees as he was yelling, covering his ears, trying to tune out his dark counterpart's laughter.

"Face it Dipper! I've won! You're broken!All these emotions you've hidden from the world, have finally broken loose! And now, I'm goint to finish you off!" the demon said as he raised his hand and it started glowing. He was about to bring his hand down, to finish the boy off, but stopped as he noticed that Dipper grew quiet. He heard him mutter something, but he could not make out what he had said, "What was that? Speak up, weakling!" the demon almost shouted, the wicked smile not leaving his face.

"I said, back off!" Dipper yelled as he punched his counterpart in the face. Much to his surprise. he seemed angered by the boy's actions and was about to say something, but he was cut off by Dipper, "Shut up! Listen to me, you worthless waste of space! I'm not weak, and I am not foolish! You think that you can break me just because you spout a bunch of lies? If anyone is the weaker half, it's you! There's a reason I keep you hidden from the rest of the world!" Dipper all but yelled.

The demon tried to reply, but he could not. He was too stunned by the boys actions to do anything.

"I'm not scared of you! You're not real! You're a figment of my imagination! I'm the only reason you're here! Now be gone!" and with that, the demon disappeared into thin air. After seconds, Dipper was suddenly surounded by a blinding white light. After regaining his vision, he found himself inside another chamber. At the far wall was what looked like an exit. He had made it out!

He ran towards the exit, only to be stopped by some sort of invisible barrier. What was the meaning of this? Why couldn't he escape? His question was answered when Bill's voice was heard.

"Well done Pine Tree. You've completed the challenge. But you can't leave until everyone completes the challenge...Or until they die trying" was what Bill said before his voice faded.

The demon's words sent chills up Dipper's spine. He only hoped his friends could make it out. Oh how he wished they had not been put through this mess in the first place. If only Pacifica's father was not so hellbent on torturing them!

But Dipper could not help but feel a slight bit of happiness. He probably would not have confessed his feelings for the blonde heiress if they had not been obducted by Bill Cipher.

And that was why he hoped she would manage to escape.

* * *

 **I think this one turned out okay. However, I'll still try as best as I can to make the next chapter much, much better! Review if you find any errors, and thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10: Pacifica's Inner Demons

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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Pacifica's Inner Demons

Pacifica had been walking for merely a few minutes. As she had expected, she had been separated from everyone else. She was on her own, and she knew no one could possibly help her.

But she had been prepared to face the challenge herself. After all, the nature of the challenge was evident to her. She was to face what represented her dark side. Her inner demons. The feelings she hid from everyone.

She continued forward for a few more minutes. Or at least she thought she was going forward. She could not tell. Her surroundings were pitch black. It was unrealistically dark. Like some sort of nightmare.

Of course her nightmares mostly consisted of her parents and the high pitched sound of a bell. She did not know why, but the sound terrified her. It was as though it were instinct to be afraid of the sound. Like some sort of trained animal. That was how they treated her anyway. Even the smallest of mistakes warranted punishment when it came to those monsters she called parents.

It had all started when she was at the mere age of 4. It had been her birthday. She was taken to an amusement park that day. Her parents had left her and her friends in the trust of their personal butler.

But it was not until after she got home had the day turned from one of the greatest days of her life, to one of the worst.

She left the amusement park with a stuffed toy that a friend had won for her. It was a small blue teddy bear, with a heart stitched into the middle. It had been her long time friend, Tiffany, who had won it for her. She had managed to best all other contestants in some sort of ball challenge. Pacifica did not quite remember. The details of the events prior to her returning home had been hazy.

But she did remember what her butler had said when he entered her room. She had been playing with the stuffed toy when he had entered, with her permission of course.

"Milady, your mother and father wish to speak with you in their quarters immediately," he stated calmly. At the time, she had expected some sort of birthday surprise.

To say she was wrong would have been the understatement of the century.

She had refused to be escorted by her butler. It made her seem helpless. After all, she had just turned 4 years old. She could find her way around her own house.

It taken approximately 5 minutes to reach the door to her parents' quarters. The room itself was massive. Once she entered through the door, without asking for permission, she walked into what looked like a mini home inside the huge mansion. It had a foyer that made up about one fourth of the entire quarters. To the left of her was a large bathroom with a power shower, and a bathtub that also served the purpose of being a Jacuzzi. To her right was an extremely large walk in closet. On one side of the walk in closet were dozens of expensive suits. On the other side were almost the same amount of dresses.

Pacifica stood up straight and looked directly in front of her as she heard her parents come out of the main bedroom area.

"Hello Pacifica. How was your day at the amusement park?" Her father asked, feigning interest. Though at the time, Pacifica could not tell. She had thought he was genuinely interested, and began giving details of her day.

It was at that moment when her parents had noticed the smudge on her dress. She had not yet changed her clothes, and her parents took it as a sign of disobedience. She was breaking their rule of not wearing dirty clothes in the house.

Of course, that was not the real reason she was there.

He had known every little detail about her day, for he had been spying on her. Before Pacifica was born, he had managed to set up several security cameras all over Gravity Falls. The amusement park was no exception.

He had caught her speaking to the common folk that were present during her birthday celebration. Of course she had not told them that. Not only had she openly lied to them, but she had broken one the most important rules of being a Northwest.

Never mingle with the common folk of Gravity Falls.

She had openly disobeyed her parents, and lied about it. She had not seen what was wrong with speaking to the people of Gravity Falls. They all seemed nice enough. Her father had told her that they were not worthy of speaking with a Northwest, but she had thought otherwise.

Pacifica had just finished telling her parents about how her friend had won a prize for her when her parents interrupted.

"Pacifica, I understand that you were...engaging with the commoners that were present during your birthday celebration. Can you explain why?" Preston asked kneeling down towards her, putting a hand on her shoulder. His was voice calm, though expression told a different story.

"Yes Pacifica. Care to explain why you were mingling with the common folk when we specifically ordered you not to? And also why you lied to us about it?" Priscilla asked. Her voice was harsh and it gave the young Pacifica quite the shock. She spoke slowly as she answered the questions her parents had asked her.

"Well I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. They seemed like nice people..." Pacifica said in a soft voice, unable to stand still and look her parents in the eye.

Her father had suddenly pulled out a bell and began ringing it. Pacifica had not known why, but the sound made her skin crawl.

"Pacifica," her father began, "Whenever I ring this bell, do you know what will happen?" he asked, his voice still calm.

Pacifica slowly shook her head. She was frightened by her father's facial expression. After all, she was only four years old, and had never been in trouble with her parents before.

She was suddenly slapped across the face. The force of the blow had caused her to nearly fall backwards. But she regained her balance as she looked at her father with a sore cheek, tears streaming down her face.

"That's what happens! Every time you disobey us, I will ring this bell. When I ring this bell, I will beat you. Have I made myself understood?" Preston asked, now shouting. It had only caused more tears to fall as Pacifica nodded, too frightened to speak.

Her father put the bell back into his pocket as he spoke to her, in a calmer manner, "Good. Now go to your room and change out of those filthy rags," he said, pointing towards the door.

She ran as fast as her little feet could carry her. She had passed many butlers on the way to her room, all of them attempting to stop her. To ask her what was wrong. Despite the fact that they resented the Northwests, they still cared for Pacifica. After all, her parents barely had any time to raise her on their own, so it was up to the butlers to do it for them.

She finally reached her room and closed the door, locking it so no one could disturb her. A few butlers had attempted to persuade her to let them in. So that they could comfort her. But she would not get up from her bed.

That night, she could not sleep. She hoped that all of it was just some sort of bad dream. She hoped that none of it happened, and that her parents could comfort her when she eventually woke up.

But she quickly realized that it was all real when her parents had berated her with lectures about the behavior of a proper individual of Northwest kin.

she had feared the sound of that bell ever since.

The memory sent chills up her spine. Though after the night at the Northwest ball, the bell frightened her significantly less.

But the sound of it still made her blood run cold.

She stopped when she noticed a figure in the distance. But upon further inspection, she realized that there were two figures. She had began moving towards them, slowly recognizing the two. She had stopped about ten feet away from them, unable to suppress the feelings of fear.

"Hello Pacifica. I see you're still as disobedient as ever. Running off with those riff-raff you call 'friends'," Preston Northwest was frowning in disgust at Pacifica.

"Yes. I have always wondered what went wrong with you. It seemed one day you were perfect, then the next day you weren't. Look what has become of you. Parading around with common trash, calling them friends!" Priscilla Northwest said, not even bothering to look her daughter in the eye.

Pacifica did nothing. She refused to speak. Had her father finally decided to drop in and punish her himself? What was he going to do?

"So now you won't speak to us? You can't escape us by giving us the cold shoulder Pacifica!" Preston's voice seemed to echo off the darkness that surrounded them. He sported a menacing glare. If looks could kill, Pacifica would have been dead a thousand times over.

Her mother's gaze was no different. In fact, she seemed more enraged than the man standing at her side.

Pacifica still refused to speak. She was in too much fear to even begin to think of anything to say. She was terrified of them.

"You've still nothing to say, huh? You're a pitiful excuse for a Northwest, you know that?" Priscilla said, actually putting an effort into sounding disappointed.

"I have many things to say about you two monsters. None of them good," Pacifica blurted out without thinking. She had regretted it as her father reached into his pocket and pulled out an object that was in every one of her nightmares.

The high pitched sound of the bell was unbearable. Pacifica was in too much fear to even move. At some point, she did not know when, she had fallen to her knees. She covered her ears in an attempt to tune out the sound of the bell, but to no avail is it seemed to have only gotten louder.

"To think that you're even related to us! You're a weakling and a disgrace to the Northwest name!" Preston shouted. His harsh voice, mixed with the sound of the bell were too much for Pacifica to handle.

Though she felt like it, she refused to cry in front of them. They would take it as a sign of weakness. She didn't want to look weaker than she already did. A lone tear escaped her watery eyes, and fell towards the ground. Even the ground was pitch black, as she had seen the tear hit it's surface.

Unfortunately for her, so had her parents.

"So now you're crying? Is this what you have been reduced to? Get up! Northwests don't cry!" Preston said as he and Priscilla began making their way towards her. Her fathers voice provoked more tears, and Pacifica tried as best as she could to not let them fall.

But she could not hold them in any longer.

The tears began to fall freely as her father had reached her. He stood mere inches in front of her, his hand raised. He looked ready to hit her as she looked up at him with tear stained eyes.

The look on his face had filled her with more fear than anything else she had been through in her 14 years of life.

No monster hunts she had been on could compare to what she had seen.

His eyes were practically glowing red. He had a scowl on his face and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. But what she took notice of immediately was his raised hand, ready to come down towards her face at any moment.

she closed her eyes as she waited for the impact of her father's hand. But it never came.

She dared open her eyes to see that he was still in the same position. Sporting the same frightening expression on his face.

"You're as weak as I thought you were, you brat!" he yelled as his hand made contact with her face. The force of the blow had caused her head to whip to the side. She felt as though a tooth had been broken, and the blood she spat from her mouth had proven it.

Never before had her father hit her so hard. She could not feel the entire right side of her face.

"You'll never be a true Northwest! You're unworthy of holding that title! You're even worse than those disgusting low class animals you call friends," Priscilla said, her words dripping venom.

"you're a weak, ill mannered, disobedient excuse for a daughter! I regret not putting you up for adoption, you worthless rat!" her father yelled. At that point Pacifica was sobbing. She dared not look them her father in the eye, out of fear of seeing that horrible facial expression.

"You could have been better! you could have had a better life if you had only done what you were told! But all you've done is prove that you did not deserve a life in the first place! And for that reason I will end it!" Priscilla shouted, leaning down in front of her daughter.

Pacifica was sure that this was the end for her. Memories flashed through her head. Good memories of her friends. When she had won her first mini golf tournament at the age of seven. When her and Tiffany had received their first phones at the age of ten. When she knocked on the door of the mystery shack at the age of twelve, asking for Dipper's help. When he had kissed her in one of the previous chambers of the labyrinth.

She had smiled at the memory of her and Dipper. She loved him with all her heart. He was the reason she had come so far. He was the reason she managed to stand up to her parents that night at the Northwest ball.

It was at that moment when she realized the true nature of the challenge. It was to overcome one's inner demons.

Pacifica looked up at her mother, with a smile on her face. This of course puzzled Priscilla, as she had expected her daughter to cower in fear at the mere sight of her.

what Pacifica had done next had surprised both Priscilla and Preston.

Pacifica hugged her mother. She was slightly shorter than the woman, her head just about reaching Priscilla's neck. She held onto the women tightly, refusing to let go of her as she spoke.

"I'm not weak mother. I am not worthless. I am a Northwest. Why can't you just see that I don't have to be better than everyone else to prove that?" Pacifica asked, tears still escaping her eyes. She had expected the woman to push her to the ground. Beat her to a pulp.

But what she had done had caught Pacifica by surprise.

Her mother had hugged her back. For what felt like hours, Pacifica remained in her embrace. However, it was merely a few minutes.

Pacifica's surroundings had suddenly flashed a blinding shade of white. She felt as though her mother had disappeared as she was transported to what looked like another chamber. Only this one had an exit. Could it be? Had she finally made it?

She tried moving but was stopped by a barrier. A force field of some sorts. it prevented her from moving towards he direction of the exit. What was the meaning of this? She suddenly got her answer as she was practically tackled into a hug. She had almost fallen over when she realized who it was.

"Pacifica I'm so glad you're okay! I knew you could make it out!" Dipper all but yelled. His grip had tightened around her as she returned the hug.

"I'm glad you're out too Dipper," Pacifica said. She soon realized that they were the only ones present within the chamber.

"We have to wait for the others to complete the challenge before we can leave," Dipper said, as if reading her mind.

"Well that's great. I'm sure they'll all make it out," Pacifica said as they released each other and shared a quick kiss.

"I hope so. I just don't know what I'd do if any of them didn't make it," Dipper said, sadness evident in his voice.

"Hey, it's okay Dipper. Like you said, we're all strong people. We're all gonna make it out of this mess," Pacifica said with a sincere smile.

They shared another quick kiss before sitting down. After everything they'd been through, a good rest was what they needed.

Though they did not know it, they would need all the strength they could get for what was to come.

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 **As I promised, this chapter is a bit better than the previous one in my opinion. I hope you enjoyed it! Review if you find any errors, and thanks for reading. In case you could not tell already, I plan to dedicate a chapter to each member of the team. All of them will face their own personal demons! I have big plans for the ending. You won't regret reading the entire story!**


	11. Chapter 11: Mabel's Inner Demons

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of it's characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

 **As many of you may know, I have decided to dedicate a chapter to each member of the team. But I'd like all of you to know that I will not take requests. I already have plans for this story. Thank you very much.**

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Mabel's Inner Demons

Mabel had never really been afraid of the dark. In fact, she could not sleep unless her room was dark. In a way, she actually loved being surrounded by darkness. It made her feel at ease for some reason. She could not explain it.

Even as a young girl she enjoyed the dark. Every time she participated in a game of hide n' seek, she would always find a dark place to hide. Places that other children dared not go near. But not her. She was drawn to it. It intrigued her.

"To think a bubbly girl like you enjoys being in the dark," is what her brother would always say. Of course, he had always meant it as a joke, and Mabel took it as such.

But that didn't change the fact that he was right. It even confused her. She always like to think of herself as an optimist. Someone who always looked towards the bright side of situations.

And yet she still felt at ease every night when she'd go to sleep. Closing the lights and jumping into her bed. It filled her with a sense of calm.

The darkness that she was in was different though.

Her surroundings had put her on edge. Never before had she been in a place of this nature. Everything was pitch black. It almost made her feel like she was dreaming. It was a possibility. After all, this was a challenge made by a dream demon.

She could barely see anything in front of her face, yet she could see her own body quite well. The moment she looked down at her pink sweater, she knew that this darkness was eerily unnatural. She started to question whether or not she really was dreaming when she saw something in the distance. The very fact that she could see something in the distance had only added to the unnatural effect of the darkness surrounding her. It was as though everything but her and the figure were devoid of any color.

It made her uncomfortable, to say the least.

Having no other choice, she began making her way towards the distant figure. She felt as though she had been walking for only a few minutes by the time she actually reached the mysterious figure.

She smiled as she stopped about ten feet away from the figure. She had recognized who it was almost immediately.

"Pacifica! I'm so glad your okay!" Mabel said, making her way towards the girl. She stopped suddenly when she realized that the girl was unresponsive, "Pacifica, are you okay?" Mabel asked, warily making her way towards her.

She stopped again when she heard the blonde say something. She did not hear her properly though.

"What was that? Speak up Pacifica," Mabel said, already standing about 4 feet behind Pacifica. She did not know why, but the closer she had gotten to Pacifica, the less comfortable she felt. There was just something about the blonde that didn't seem right. what it was, Mabel could not say. But she knew that it was something that made her seem off. What could it have possibly been?

She got her answer as soon as she heard Pacifica's voice.

"I said, why are you acting like you're such an optimist?" Pacifica asked, her voice echoing off the darkness. It made her sound unnatural. Almost demonic.

Of course it only made Mabel feel even more uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?" Mabel said, trying to hide the fact that she was at unease.

"You know what I mean! Stop acting so cheery all the time! You and I both know that's not the real you!" Pacifica yelled, turning around to face the girl.

As soon as Mabel saw Pacifica's face, her blood ran cold.

It was her eyes. They were blood red. It looked as though she had been possessed by a demon, and it was not unlikely. After all, this whole challenge was set up by a demon.

However, Mabel doubted that was the case. She had remembered the whole ordeal her brother had went through to try and fix a laptop. Bill had ended up destroying it and taking over Dipper's body. She had seen first hand what a possessed individual looked like. It was nothing like what she was seeing at that moment.

"Pacifica, what's wrong with your eyes?" Mabel said, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

"Shut up! Don't try and change the subject!" Pacifica yelled, her voice still echoing, as though they were surrounded by invisible walls. Mabel was beyond frightened at that point.

"Pacifica, what's gotten into you?" Mabel said, her voice a higher pitch than usual.

"What's gotten into me? No! What's gotten into you? Why do you have to lie to yourself and pretend to be something you're not?" Pacifica shouted. Her eyes seemed to have turned to a deeper shade of red somehow.

"W-what are you talking about?" Mabel said, not bothering to prevent herself from stuttering slightly. She was well aware that her fear was evident to Pacifica.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about you bitch!" Pacifica said. Though she had stopped yelling, her tone of voice was still dark and hostile.

Mabel was so frightened that she could not stand upright. She fell down to one knee, refusing to look into Pacifica's red eyes.

But that only seemed to provoke the blonde haired girl standing in front of her.

"Do you really think anyone is fooled by the facade you put up everyday? Even your beloved brother sees through it! Deep down, you're just a scared little girl!" Pacifica said, yelling again. She had balled her hands into fasts, and her face looked angrier than ever before. It all somehow seemed unnatural. But Mabel could not tell, she was still covering her face with her hands. She refused to look at the girl standing before her.

"No! Shut up!" Mabel said, her hands still covering her face, refusing to look at the girl standing before her.

"That just proves it! You know I'm right! Everyone knows what you're really like!" Pacifica said. She still raised her voice, but she was not quite shouting.

"Shut up! I'm not a scared little girl!" Mabel said, this time covering her ears. She still looked down, refusing to even so much as glance at Pacifica. She could not have felt more helpless.

What if the girl was right? What if Mabel was scared of showing her true self, so she masked it with the bubbly girl image?

"Don't bother lying to yourself. Everyone around you can see right through the mask you try to hide behind. Your stupid friends, your great uncle, even your own brother can't stand it. They know that behind the bubbly girl image, is a sad girl, too scared to face the world. You know I'm right, don't even try to deny it!" Pacifica said. At that point, she was standing inches away from Mabel. Looking down at her in disgust.

Mabel could do nothing. She was in too much fear to do anything. What could she have done anyway? What if everything Pacifica had said was true?

But Mabel refused to believe her. How could she? She barely knew Pacifica at all. Sure, they were no longer rivals, but that did not mean they were friends. In fact, Mabel had very little contact with the girl after the Northwest mansion ball.

and yet, here she was, berating Mabel with ugly words. Words that struck Mabel like knives to the chest.

"It's not true. I'm not scared to show my true feelings!" Mabel said tearing up. No matter how hard she tried, she could not sound confident. She sounded scared.

Pacifica laughed. Not a genuine laugh, but a taunting laugh.

"Quit lying to yourself! You know everything I said is true! You're scared of your own emotions, and you know it!" Pacifica said, her words like bullets, fired by a marksman striking Mabel's heart, lowering her self esteem and confidence with every bullet.

Mabel finally cracked. She could not hold in the tears. She knew that she had lost, and Pacifica had won.

Pacifica knew it as well.

"This world is not meant for weak people like you! You can't deal with your emotions and you know it! You try to hide that fact under your mask of feigned happiness. But it doesn't work. Not on your friends, not on your family, and definitely not on all the boys you craze over," Pacifica said, raising her hand. It seemed to be glowing a bright shade of white. She was ready to finally put the girl sitting before her out of her misery.

Unfortunately for her, Mabel was not ready to die yet.

Pacifica stood back in shock as Mabel stood up, her face distorted in anger.

Mabel lashed out at Pacifica.

"You listen to me you useless piece of rich trash! I'm not weak! I'm not a sad little girl, and I am definitely not scared of anything! Not my own emotions! Not from showing my true self, and definitely not you! You think that you can just walk up to me and talk about how much of a coward I am? You barely even know me! So don't talk about me, my friends or my family, you bitch!" Mabel yelled. She had finally snapped, unable to contain herself. Pacifica deserved it for what she had just said to.

Yet, Mabel could not help but feel sorry for her. She herself was surprised at how much anger her voice held. She was equally surprised at herself for the harsh words she used. It was unlike her. She was kind at heart, bubbly and always calm, not depressed and angry.

She saw the look of pure terror on Pacifica's face. She knew that she had gone too far. Mabel did not want take joy in hurting other people. She did not like people being scared of her.

"Pacifica. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm also sorry for the harsh words. But I'm not weak, and I don't need to prove that to you. Being happy doesn't make me weak. I'm not afraid of my feelings, and being the bubbly girl people see everyday is my true nature. I'm not sad or scared deep down. I think it's you who's the scared little girl," Mabel said calmly. She looked Pacifica in the eye and noticed that they were no longer red.

And at that moment she suddenly knew. She knew that this could not have been Pacifica. She should have known from the moment she saw the girl's eyes, and heard her voice, that this was not Pacifica Northwest.

she looked the demon in the eye and said three simple words.

"Be gone demon" and with that, the figure standing before her disappeared into thin air. At the same time, her surroundings flashed white and she was transported to another chamber within the temple. As soon as she had gotten up, she was hugged by someone. Someone she could not have been happier to see.

"I'm so glad you're okay Mabel!" Dipper said, hugging Mabel as though he had not seen her in years. This was not an awkward sibling hug. This was a genuine hug. He was so happy to see her, well and alive.

"I'm glad we're both okay Dipper," Mabel said as she was released from the hug. She was suddenly hugged again, this time by none other than Pacifica Northwest.

"It's good to see you Mabel. I knew you could make it," The blonde heiress said, letting go of Mabel after a few seconds of embrace.

Mabel knew that this was the real Pacifica Northwest. She was certain of it. The one that had insulted her, called her weak and a coward, was just a figment of her imagination. Of course, that's what she assumed.

"It's good to see that you're okay too Pacifica," Mabel said with a sincere smile.

She looked around, noticing what looked like an exit at the far wall of the chamber. Dipper had seen where her gaze landed, and spoke.

"There's some sort of barrier. Everyone has to finish the challenge first, then we can get out," he said gesturing towards the large doorway that lead to what looked like a beach. Most likely the other side of the island.

"Okay, looks like all we can do right now is hope that everyone makes it out alive," Mabel said, sitting down leaning against a wall.

she knew that her friends were strong people. What Bill had said about them meant nothing to her. As far as she was concerned, they could all make it out of this easily.

Or so she hoped.

* * *

 **I like how this one turned out. I've always had the idea of Mabel having anxiety and masking it with her bubbly personality. Review if you find errors, and thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12: Wendy's Inner Demons

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of it's characters. All of it belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

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Wendy's Inner Demons

There was something about Wendy's suroundings that unnerved her. It all looked far too dark to be real. She could not see anything, yet she could easily see her own hands and body. It was as though the color had been sucked out of everything except for her.

Wendy was not one to be afraid of the dark. Though in her youth she may have not been able to handle sleeping alone, she was never araid of the dark.

She was beyond confused as to why she felt so uncomfortable. It was though she was in some sort of weird dream. She had her share of weird dreams, and some of them came close to her current situation. Walking around, everything around her being completely consumed in darkness. She would not call them nightmares. They hardly frightened her.

That particular chamber of the labyrinth was different though. Wendy had seen things in the Gravity Falls woods that made her question whether or not her brain was working properly. She had lost count of how many times the other-worldly nature of Gravity Falls had nearly been the death of her. But never in all her eighteen years of life had she experienced anything as precarious and as treacherous as what Bill Cipher had put her through.

Wendy herself had encountered the demon once before, though the confrontation was brief. She was with Dipper and Mabel. It was something she would never forget. It was as though it were a file, unalterably saved within the flash drive that represented her mind. No matter how hard she tried to forget that encounter, she could not. Not after what the demon had already put her and her friends through.

She was trudging through the woodlands of Gravity Falls. It was night-time during the winter break of 2013. Of course, she had worn a jacket to protect herself from the harsh cold. Despite how high the temperatures could get in Gravity Falls during the summer, it could get very chilly during the winter. Though, not to a point at which it would snow.

It had been hard to see very far in front of her, for the thick trees above head had rendered it beyond the bounds of possibilty for moonlight to seep through. Luckily, Wendy had been carrying a flashlight that she always kept in her backpack. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten to replace the battery after one of the team's previous ventures into the forest, in search of another creature that was a resident of the Gravity Falls woods.

Mabel and Dipper were trailing behind, staying close to prevent losing sight of her. At the time, they had been searching for yet another creature that inhabited the woodlands of Gravity Falls. She had forgotten the name of it though. Some elements of the memory were a blur to her.

After walking for minutes, Wendy's flashlight began to flicker. She mentally admonished herself for forgetting to replace the batteries after their earlier forest expedition. She had only hoped that they could make it out of the forest before the device became unsuable.

Alas, the flashlight stopped working. It was unfortunate, as their destination was not particularly a stone's throw away. It had initially taken them hours to reach the deepest part of the woods. At night, it would have taken longer to get out.

At that point, they could not fight the overwhelming feelings of fatigue and weariness. They decided to rest and start a campfire. Dipper had brought with him a tent for the team to sleep in throughout the night. It had taken a fair amount of persuasion, but the twins' great uncle Stanford Pines had allowed the group to camp out for one night. Of course, he had given them each a knife to protect themselves. He knew of the imperilment of trudging through the woods unprotected and unarmed. It would be suicide to go in, alone and with nothing to use as a means of self defense.

All he had asked them to do was to keep it a secret from their parents. Had they caught wind of their children's various adventures, they'd have prohibited them from visiting Gravity Falls. And that was something they did not want.

It had taken minutes on Wendy's part, but the blaze of the campfire came to life. Of course, pitching the tent had not been an easy task. It had taken several minutes, but the twins had never felt more relief when they had finally finished setting up camp.

The trio sat, huddled close to the fire in an attempt to stay warm in the frigidness of the calm winter night.

However, despite the calm silence, they still felt as though they were being watched. The darkness beyond the what the campfire's light could reach had made their surroundings all the more eerie and sinister.

It made them uncomfortable thinking about all the creatures that were possibly stalking them, hidden by the darkness beyond the light of the campfire, waiting for them to fall asleep to go in for the kill.

They sat in silence, only the faint cackling of the flames being heard. Had they not feared the creatures that inhabited Gravity Falls, they'd have felt a sense of tranquility.

They suddenly became alert when the rustling of an unseen bush broke the stillness of the cold night.

Wendy had been the first react, reaching to her boot for a combat knife provided to her by her Stanford Pines. She looked around, unable to make out anything in the darkness of the night. The rustling continued as she inched her way towards the twins, but after a few seconds, it stopped. Much to the group's relief, it had simply been a squirrel wandering through the forest.

Unfortunately, the squirrel had not been the only thing stalking them.

Wendy watched in alarm as her surroundings, of which she could actually make out, had lost all color and turned a dull grey. But that was not what had thrown her into panic. It was the demon that had appeared before the group.

It was a perfect equilateral triangle. On top of it's "head" was a top hat. It's arms and legs were stick thin, to the point where they seemed fake. It had one eye in it's center, and just below the eye was a bow tie.

But what had frightened her the most was it's voice.

"Well hello there Pine Tree! Mine if I drop in?" It's voice sounded abnormal. Like many afflicted souls speaking as one lifeblood. It unnerved her to the point at which she could hardly move. It was too much for her.

It was at that moment that she had lost consciousness. All she had remembered was it's voice, and that she had woken up in the tent that Dipper and Mabel had pitched. Apparently, the demon had just wanted to deliver a message to the twins. What the demon had said to them, she did not know. Dipper refused to tell her.

Although, she did not need him to tell her. Only days later, he had told her of his encounter with the demon. fortunately, he had managed to defeat it and seal it away.

Wendy still never knew how the demon had broken out of it's imprisonment. If she were to be honest, she did not want to know.

It was long ago, yet the memory still ran chills up her spine. Of course, she had been beyond frightened during the group's encounter with the demon at Gravity Falls mall. And hearing it's voice after every completed challenge had still demoralized her beyond coherent thinking.

She wondered how Dipper and Mabel could even stand listening to the demon, let alone encountering him and defeating him. On more than one occasion no less. It was madness!

Her thoughts were cut short as she noticed what looked like a small glow in the distance. Being so far from her position had rendered it difficult for her to make out what exactly the glow was. She was wary of going anywhere near it. Looking around her however, she concluded that she had no choice.

She walked at a balanced pace, making her way towards the glow in the distance. She felt like it had been mere minutes before she could actually make out the shape of a person. It was still hard to take in any more details, but she knew it was a person.

Before Wendy could get closer, the person started running away from her. Not finding any other options, she ran after the mysterious individual.

After running for a few more minutes, the person had suddenly stopped. Wendy had kept moving, but slowed down to a walk. The closer she had gotten to the person, the more recognizable the individual became.

It looked like a female, that much was evident to Wendy. The strange female had hair the same shade as Wendy's hair, if not a small bit darker. Wendy could not make out her facial features, for the female had her back facing the teenager.

The closer Wendy had gotten to the mysterious female, the more she felt she knew her. She felt as though she'd seen this person before. From where, she could not recall.

She had finally gotten close enough to see that the odd female was taller than her. For some reason, Wendy did not think the idea of speaking to her was a good one. Despite that, she dared speak.

"Who are you?" Wendy asked warily. She could not put her finger on it, but the woman had seemed so familiar to her.

The woman said nothing. She only stood in place, her arms at her sides. She was wearing something similar to what Wendy herself was wearing, only the colors differed. Whilst Wendy was wearing a green plaid shirt, the woman was wearing a blue one. Wendy sported dark blue jeans, but the woman wore a lighter shade of blue. Wendy's boots were light brown lumber jack boots. The woman's boots however, were a darker shade of brown.

The woman was also not wearing a hat.

"Answer me," Wendy said, unintentionally raising her voice.

The woman was still unresponsive. It was as though she were frozen. But she had proven otherwise when she turned to face the lumberjack teen.

To say Wendy was stunned would have been an understatement. For a moment, she questioned whether or not the situation really was a dream. She knew the woman standing in front of her had been familiar, but she was still shocked to see who it really was.

"It's not okay for you to raise your voice to others Wendy," her voice was soft, and she had been smiling. Though her voice held an unnatural echo. Similar to that of Bill Cipher, except it sounded like one voice.

Wendy was speechless. She was too stunned and, even if she was not, what could she have said to the woman?

"What? Can't say anything to your own mother Wendy?" the woman asked jokingly.

"what do you want me to say to you? What do you say to someone who abandoned you?" Wendy asked harshly, finally finding her voice.

True to her word, her mother had suddenly disappeared when Wendy was merely eight years old. She had asked her father about it, and he said that the woman simply left.

Of course, even at such a young age, Wendy could tell that her parents were having trouble with their marriage. She recalled how they'd fought almost every night.

She had never known the true reason behind her mother's disappearance. Even as an 18 year old, she still could not understand why the woman would simply walk out on the family. She had not even filed for a divorce. She simply vanished, and to this day Wendy had not known what became of her. She had thought her to be dead, but her father told her otherwise.

Of course nothing could possibly explain what the woman was doing in the labyrinth.

"That was very rude of you Wendy. Where are your manners?" the woman asked calmly, refusing to acknowledge the fact that she had abandoned the girl.

"Where are my manners?! Where is your dignity? Walking out on the family like that!" Wendy said, raising her voice. At some point, she had began to tear up

"Now, now Wendy. There's no need to be hostile towards me," her mother said, still maintaining her calm composure. She was even smiling as though the situation was a family reunion.

Wendy did not think of it as such. As far as she was concerned, this was the woman that had abandoned her and her siblings over something as simple as, for all Wendy knew, marriage troubles. The woman could have filed for a divorce, yet she refuse to do so, leaving Wendy's father to deal with taking care of her and her siblings. The very thought made the redhead's blood boil.

And yet, the woman had the nerve to act like she had been the authoritative figure in Wendy's life.

"Why not? Why should I even so much as listen to you? You don't even know what you put us through by just leaving like that!" Wendy yelled, tears flowing freely. She was right of course. For her mother to just abandon her, then act as though she had never left was unthinkable.

"Don't yell at me Wendy. It's not right for you to yell at anyone let alone someone older than you," the woman said. She had frowned at Wendy's outburst, but maintained a calm composure.

Wendy was appalled at how calm her mother was being. The woman had put the family through more pain than she could imagine, and yet she was acting as if she had never left.

"You deserve to be yelled at! You can't just leave, then come back and expect me be obedient and do whatever the hell you want! You don't even know me!" Wendy yelled, moving closer to her mother as she spoke.

"I am your mother and you will do what I say young lady!" the woman said, raising her voice at her daughter. She truly thought she had the right to govern Wendy's life.

And yet she failed to show any repentance, or guilt, or even sadness, for simply leaving the family.

"Oh you're my mother alright, but you'll never be my mom! You'll never be anything to me! You can act like you still have any control over me, but it isn't going to change the fact that you lost the right to be a parent as soon as you left us!" Wendy's voice was trembling at that point. She could even comprehend how the woman standing before her could even so much as think of bossing her around.

"That is no way to speak to me!" Wendy's mother said, raising her voice, unable to hide the fact that what Wendy had said struck a nerve.

"You don't even know me woman! What's my favorite color? What's my favorite food? How old am I? Wait! You don't know because you couldn't handle the troubles you had with your marriage, so you found it a good idea to just leave and never come back! You didn't even have the common decency to divorce dad before booking it!" Wendy said in a mixture of anger and disgust, looking the woman in the eye. Tears were still falling freely as she spoke.

Her mother was speechless. She had done nothing but stare at Wendy, her eyes locked with her daughter's eyes. She could see hatred in them. She could see anger and disgust on the teenagers face. The woman could not stand to look into those eyes any longer.

Her mother slapped her.

Before Wendy could even register the pain, her head had been thrown back by the sheer force of the slap her mother had given her. When she finally did feel the pain, she looked back at her mother with even more hatred in her eyes. The right side of her face was burning. She ignored the pain however, as she pounced on the woman standing before her.

Punches were thrown, marks were left on each of them. In the end however, her mother had proved stronger.

"You're just as disobedient and as ill-mannered as I remember!" the woman said, putting almost all her weight on Wendy. she had inflicted quite a bit of damage on the teenager, giving her a bruised cheek and a bloody nose.

"At least I'm not a coward!" Wendy yelled back, only to get slapped again. This time, her mother had slapped even harder, and on the same cheek.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that! I am your mother and you're to listen to me when I tell you to do something!" she yelled, her voice dripping venom. Of course, it did not faze Wendy. Not even in the slightest.

"No! You're not the one who raised me! You've been gone for ten years, and you just decide to come back and act like you own me?" Wendy yelled, not taking her eyes off of the woman.

"If you knew why I left, you wouldn't be saying stupid things like that!" her mother said, she was not quite shouting, but she was still raising her voice.

"I know why you left! You couldn't handle the troubles you and dad had with marriage! You did the coward thing and ran away from your problems!" Wendy shouted back, almost immediately.

She pushed the woman off of her, and punched her twice. Once in the nose, and once in the stomach. After that, she proceeded to kick the woman in the kneecap, rendering her unable to stand.

"How dare you-" her mother was about to say, but was immediately cut off.

"No! How dare you! You don't run away from someone, then just come back and expect them to act as if nothing happened! I've been the only girl in the family for ten years! Me and my brothers have been without a mother for ten years! Those poor boys probably don't even know that they have a mother! I'll be graduating soon, do you think coming back has made any difference? I'll be gone by the end of this summer, and I hope I'll never have to see you again for as long as I live!" Wendy shouted, punching her mother another time, knocking the woman out.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, her surroundings flashed a blinding shade of white, and she was transported to a chamber. A chamber that had an exit.

"Wendy! You're okay!" She heard three voices. Before she knew it, she was being group hugged by Dipper, Mabel and surprisingly, Pacifica.

To say she was not happy to see them would have been an understatement.

"I'm glad you guys made it out too. But why are you still here? Isn't that an exit?" Wendy asked, puzzled by the fact that the three were still in the wretched temple.

The redhead answered her own question as she attempted to walk towards the exit, only to be stopped by an invisible wall.

"Oh, that's why," she said.

"Yeah, we have to wait for everyone to finish the challenge," Dipper said.

"Well, it shouldn't be a problem for the rest of the team. What Bill said about someone not making it out was just a lie. He was trying to scare us. I know that everyone can make it," Wendy said, unable to contain the smile that spread across her lips.

"I hope so," Pacifica said with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry Paz! We'll all make it out of this place alive!" Mabel said, enthusiastically hugging the blonde.

Pacifica was taken back at first, but after a few seconds, she could not help but smile. Mabel always had a way to cheer everyone up. It was something Pacifica admired about the bubbly girl. Even when she was pretending to be a bully.

"She's right Pacifica. I promise you, everyone will pull through. If there is anything I know about those guys, it's that they're strong people," Dipper said, planting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The action had caused her to blush slightly. The boy had not noticed it, and if he did, he chose to ignore it, thankfully.

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right," Pacifica said, still smiling.

Before Dipper could move away from her, she pulled him into a kiss. It lasted for a mere second before she pulled away and blushed.

Dipper simply stared at her. After a few seconds he smiled and hugged the girl.

Then he remembered that Mabel and Wendy were still there.

"Oh man, I'm never gonna let you forget this," Wendy said, chuckling. It was not long until both her and Mabel burst out laughing, and Dipper and Pacifica joined in.

Though Dipper still felt a bit uncomfortable over the fact that some of his friends still had not completed the challenge, he still remained optimistic. He knew that they could make it. All he had to do was be patient.

But he still couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

* * *

 **I am quite happy with how this turned out! I've decided to leave her mother nameless for this chapter. She is only important for this chapter. Also, her name is not mentioned in the show, so I found no reason to make one up for her just for this chapter. Thanks for reading. If you find any errors, review so that I may do better next chapter!**


	13. Important Note From The Author

**Hello, fellow readers.**

 **Please take your time to read this short message.**

 **Assuming you followed and favorited my story, this will be extremely important to you.**

 **As for many of you, school will be starting soon. Unfortunately, this means that I will have less time to work on this Fanfiction. Especially considering the nature of my school. (I'm in an advanced class, which means a significantly larger amount of work than most other classes)**

 **I will of course continue to work on this story as best as I can. The updates will just be much less frequent. I plan to put almost all of my focus on studying this year.**

 **My grade in the previous school year was not bad, per se (B+ average). I was however, not quite overjoyed with my results. I know that I could have done much, much better. I won't go into a detail about my grades, but all you need to know is that I do not plan on slacking off, as I have done before in previous years.**

 **Forgive me if this saddens you.**

 **I promise that I will allow myself a short time every week to continue writing the story. The weekends, days I do not have any homework or any exams to study for, etc.**

 **I sincerely hope that you, my fellow readers, understand.**

 **Yours truly,**

 **DanRider007.**


	14. 14: Inner Demons: R and T (Part 1)

**Disclaimer: I in no way own Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of its characters. It all belongs to producer, animator and voice actor, Alex Hirsch. Thank you very much.**

 **Before I start this chapter, I'd like to thank a certain someone. I know I said I would not take requests, but I couldn't figure out what to do for this chapter. So thank you Rorscarch for giving me this idea.**

 **Enjoy the story, fellow readers.**

 **Also, some of you may notice that I've slightly changed up the writing style for this chapter. If it gets good reviews, I might write the rest of the story in a similar manner.**

* * *

 _Baby I'm back!_

* * *

Inner Demons: Robbie and Tambry (Part 1)

Robbie felt ill at ease with his surroundings. Everything seemed too dark to be natural. The fact that he could still see his own body also added to the peculiarity of the chamber he was in.

At least, he thought it was a chamber. The place must have been the size the damn Sahara!

He couldn't help but remember the terrible nightmares he used to have as a child. Alone, wandering in a dark place, no way of knowing in which direction he was headed. For all he knew, he could be floating.

They seemed less frightening to him as a young adult, but his surroundings still daunted him.

He had been wandering for almost half an hour through the darkness, to where, he was unsure. He understood the nature of the challenge, yet he did not know what to expect.

Of course when it came to Bill Cipher, expecting a giant giraffe on a unicycle with a laser cannon would probably be expecting too little of the demon.

He been separated from his friends only minutes after walking. But it was to be expected. He would have been surprised, had Bill not separated them.

This whole ordeal had been the first time Robbie encountered the dream demon. Robbie had witnessed first-hand some of the most other-worldly things Gravity Falls had to offer, but the demon was of the most outlandish. It's appearance alone was off-putting.

Christ! Who wouldn't be a little bit unnerved at the sight of a glowing triangle with an eye?

'Probably my aunt Claire. That woman has the will of titanium,' Robbie thought.

The triangle thing's voice was creepy too. It sounded similar to a record being played on reverse, and many different voices speaking as one.

Of course, it was a demon. The ominous voice kind of came with the territory.

That however, didn't change the fact that it was still a very, very creepy voice. Even more so than his mother's voice on a Monday morning.

The teenager suddenly stopped when what looked like a dim glow appeared in the distance. It was too far away for Robbie to actually make out what exactly it was, but he knew it was there

He began making his way towards the strange glowing thing.

He walked for minutes before finally being able to see what, or rather, who it was. It was someone he had recognized instantly.

"Tambry! I can't believe I found you!" Robbie said, running up to her. He stopped however when he noticed she was unresponsive.

'The only time I actually want her to respond, and she's silent' he thought grimly.

He examined her face. She looked as though she had not noticed him. As though he was not even there.

Despite the bad-boy act that he refused to drop, he had to admit to himself that his girlfriend's behavior unnerved him a bit.

Or perhaps he was just a coward when it came to Tambry in general.

Either way, he was frightened.

* * *

 _~( **Wicked Awesome** **Transition** )~_

* * *

Tambry trudged slowly through the eerie darkness. She could not make out anything in the murk of her surroundings.

Strangely enough, she could see herself.

Of course, as she had expected, she was separated from her friends. She would not have put it passed the demon to separate them. She knew what he was like.

She would not tell anyone, but she had encountered Bill Cipher numerous times. However, after every meeting with the insane triangle, she would find herself awake, in her bed. Unharmed.

He was not called a dream demon for nothing, she supposed.

Of course these encounters were long ago. Two years before she had met Dipper and Mabel Pines to be exact.

She would always wake up in her bedroom, dazed and confused. The things the demon would say to her always put her on edge.

However, being the hard-headed tomboy she was, she refused to tell any of her friends of her dreams.

Before Bill had captured the team, she thought nothing of her meetings with him. She thought they truly were just dreams.

She did not think of them as nightmares though. They were astonishingly odd, but not frightening.

Except for one particular encounter with the dream demon. One that she could not possibly forget, no matter how hard she tried.

It seemed similar to all of the other dreams in which she had met the strange triangle. Her surroundings were white, black and grey.

After dealing with these odd dreams for such a long period of time, she had noticed a pattern. The earliest dream she could remember took place in her own home. The dream after that in the forest.

This dream however, broke the pattern.

It was in some sort of room that she had never been in before. The walls were stained with what she hoped was not blood, and there were papers scattered throughout the strange room.

It reminded her of the office building that her father worked in.

Once she noticed a desk, and a few upturned chairs, she concluded that this was, in fact, some sort of office.

She saw a dark colored door, with complex patterns carved into it. She found it odd, as it was completely out of place with the modern look of the rest of the room she was in. It looked like some sort of 11th century Norwegian carving.

Or something like that. She didn't know anything about carvings, or 11th century Norway.

Curious as to what hid behind the strange door, she slowly walked up to it. At first glace, she assumed it was heavy. However, to her pleasant surprise, it was very light, and she opened it effortlessly.

She poked her head through the doorway, and her gaze fell upon a dull grey corridor, each side lined with dark colored doors, similar to the one she had opened seconds ago.

Not finding any other choice, she left the room, closing the door behind her. What was odd is that the door did not make a single sound upon being shut.

'Wish that was a feature on my parents' bedroom door,' she thought to herself.

Not wanting to pay any further attention to the strange phenomenon, she turned away from the door and made her way down the hallway.

She felt as though it would never end. The corridor just kept going on. It actually started making her feel anxious. Or annoyed as hell. Either way, the feeling was not a particularly good one.

After walking for what felt like hours, but in reality was most likely just a few minutes, Tambry decided to start looking through the various rooms within the strange place. She opened every door slowly, to try and add a level of suspense to her utterly boring situation.

It didn't work of course, but that didn't stop her from doing it.

All the rooms seemed to look the exact same. She could even go as far as to say that every paper in each room was in exactly the same position as was in the next room.

Or maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. She was dreaming, after all.

She continued looking through the doors, each room identical to the last in almost every way. Eventually, she grew bored and decided to continue walking.

She stopped in her tracks upon hearing a sound. The sound of footsteps. She was no longer alone.

She turned around, only to see that she was facing, strangely enough, a door. No longer was there a long corridor.

Assuming that whoever was following her was through the door, she inched closer and closer to it. She slowly opened it, and upon gazing inside, she noticed that it was empty. She released a breath that she had not realized she was holding.

she shook her head for believing that anyone was with her.

She closed the door, and upon turning around, her blood ran cold.

The site before her was horrific. Even more so than her aunt at a pool party.

No longer was it the strange corridor in a boring as hell office building. The walls were filled with messages written in blood. There were a few men in suits, lying on the bloodstained floor. Their faces were battered and bloodied beyond recognition. Another man in a suit was hanging from the ceiling with a noose around his neck, his face also covered in blood.

In the middle of it all was him. Or it. Tambry didn't know nor give a damn about its gender.

His/it/her one eye opened wide, and the slit pupils practically burned holes through her.

Fires starting surrounding the two, as the triangular body changed from bright yellow to a shade of red, and grew in size.

"I'm always watching you!" was the last thing she heard the thing say, in an eerily distorted voice, before she found herself in bed, drenched in sweat.

The memory frightened her.

The few nights after that horrid dream, she could not sleep. She was much too disturbed to do so. She feared that she would find herself in another dream of similar nature.

She finally decided to give up, and let sleep claim her. Her dreams were back to normal. If one could consider cryptic and strange to be of the norm.

She still could not fathom what the dream had meant, or whether or not it was of any significance. Was it a sign? Was it a glimpse into the future? She would never know.

Or perhaps she was just overthinking things, because she tended to do that a lot more than she cared to admit.

Oh how she wished to have wet dreams like all normal teenagers did.

She walked for a few more minutes through the strange dark place. Her surroundings somehow seemed to get more and more unreal with every step she took.

She didn't even know the direction in which she was headed.

She took a shaky breath as she felt her surroundings gradually grow colder.

She stopped walking when, in the distance, she noticed a figure. What was odd was that it seemed to be moving towards her.

'That's funny. New people are usually afraid of me,' she thought with confusion.

For minutes, she stood trying to make out what - or who - it as. After staring so hard her eyes burned, she realized that it was a person.

Why it took her so long to figure it out, we shall never know. the thing was literally getting closer and closer to her.

Being curious, and being faced with nothing else to do, Tambry began making her way towards the odd person.

The more she walked, the more she felt as though the person was moving away from her now. Or perhaps she herself was moving backwards.

She doubted it, as she was sure her feet were moving forward. Certain even. She was not very bright, but she could tell where her body was going.

Her thoughts were cut short as soon as she noticed that the faint glow of the odd person was vanishing.

Not minutes passed before it disappeared completely, leaving Tambry with mixed feelings of annoyance, frustration and above all, confusion.

'Why the hell would you just disappear if you wanted me to follow you? That's not how it works in video games!' She thought to herself.

She could almost swear she heard someone saying something along the lines of "this isn't a video game, stupid".

Perhaps she imagined it.

"What the heck just happened?" she asked out loud, as though her eerily dark surroundings would provide an answer to whatever puzzle she was in.

The only response she got was silence, and possibly the 'F' word. Or maybe that was imagined as well. It didn't matter either way.

She was surprised when she actually did hear something.

Well, when she was certain that she wasn't imagining herself hearing something.

A voice that sounded all too familiar to her.

"Tambry!" the voice yelled, as if from all directions. Tambry, smiling, turned around to face the person she could have not been happier to see at that very moment. Well, next to her best friend, but she wouldn't say that out loud unless she was feeling extra cruel.

The smile left her face as soon as she saw him. His face was distorted with...Anger?

Of course, she knew it was anger, but she thought the whole 'question the thing you see' would sound dramatic in her head.

It didn't though. It just sounded stupid.

The spur-of-the-moment shock, mixed with the thoughts of 'you're too stupid for this world' hit her so hard, she couldn't move.

She could, but she was still hanging on to the dramatic feel of wherever she was.

It took all she had in her to muster up the one question going through the jumbled mess that was her mind.

"R-Robbie? W-w-what's wrong with y-y-you?" she uttered with an unbearably conspicuous stutter in her voice.

Though her intent was to sound surprised, for the dramatic effect, the question came out a stuttered mess of words that even she barely understood.

She inwardly chastised herself for ruining the dramatic moment because of her stupid nervousness. But why had her calm demeanor shattered into a million small pieces of lost hopes and dreams?

After all, it was only Robbie. What was she to be nervous about?

At that moment, she wished she never asked herself that utterly stupid question. Partly because it was just that: stupid. However, it was also because Robbie's face seemed to go very, very pale, which was weird even for him. His eyes also changed too, becoming a less-than-pleasant shade of red.

'Of course they did. What other color would they turn? Bright grass green?'.

'Or maybe they'd turn a bright shade if vibrant pink. That would make so much more sense, right?'.

'Actually, pure white would be more suitable to this situation, huh Tambry?'.

While she was busy inwardly berating herself with offensively sarcastic questions, Robbie started moving toward her.

This went unnoticed by the teenager, as she was still very, very deep in thought.

when she did notice however, Robbie was standing not two mere feet from her. This caused her to flush a deep shade of red.

He moved even closer, to the point at which he was mere inches away from her very red face.

Despite his bad-boy act he never drops around his friends, Robbie was never the dominant one in their relationship. It was always Tambry who initiated pretty much anything they did.

It was her who always went in for the kisses, and her who always grabbed onto him for hugs.

To see Robbie this close to her face frightened her as much as it slightly turned her on.

Well, it would have if his eyes weren't as red as the blood she always sees in that one back alley she used to hang out in.

"Tambry..." Robbie's voice was now a low growl. It was an attempt to frighten her.

It worked, but it still turned her on.

"Robbie..." she replied dumbly in an equally growl-y voice, surprising the...demon?

Demon eyes Robbie suddenly turned to dust right in front of her, much to her relief. And disappointment. And utter disgust.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked out loud as she began walking forward again. She was abruptly stopped however, as she felt something tug at her arm, forcing her to turn around.

To her surprise, excitement and fright, demon eyes Robbie was right there, latching onto her arm.

Demon eyes Robbie growled and practically tossed her to the ground, to which she responded with language that would make a sailor proud.

"Robbie, why the hell would y-" she abruptly stopped when she noticed his piercing glare.

Silence filled the area for a solid minute before demon eyes Robbie spoke, "Tambry.." he said slowly, in his growl-y voice, "...Do you love me?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

Tambry was shocked, more over the fact that he would even ask such an idiotic question than anything else.

"Of course I do, you moron! Why would you ask such a stupid que-" she was yet again cut off when Robbie raised his voice.

"Do you love me?!" he asked again, stepping closer to Tambry, who was still on the ground.

This time, she was stunned to silence. She didn't know nor understand why, but she began contemplating the answer that she was planning on giving him.

Did she really love him?

She was slightly surprised when she asked herself what she, not minutes ago, deemed an idiotic question.

'Of course I love him,' she inwardly told herself.

But then again, did that love really come naturally?

If she recalled, she did remember Mabel being very, very eager to give them those chili fries the day she "realized" her true feelings for the goth boy.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she noticed that said boy was very close to her face.

Only this time, for some odd reason it felt less than comfortable.

"Do you love me?" demon eyes Robbie asked in a low, surprisingly intimidating whisper.

Tambry yet again lost herself in her thoughts.

Why was Mabel so eager that one day? There was something really weird about the taste of that fry.

Christ, the damn thing was pink!

Yet Tambry never questioned it. She never questioned why she loathed Robbie until biting into that fry. she never questioned why she always felt as though the relationship was...unnatural to her at times.

'What the hell did Mabel do to me? Why am I suddenly feeling so against Robbie?' she thought to herself.

"That's it Tambry. Let the negative thoughts consume you. Let the truth be known," demon eyes Robbie said in a voice that was borderline creepy.

Though as creepy as it was, she was still curious. What did he mean by 'let the truth be known'?

"I think you already know what I mean Tambry..." came the demonic voice of the boy that was pinning her down,

She just noticed this, and struggled to free herself from his surprisingly strong grip.

"Don't deny it Tambry. Dig deep. Find the truth," the demon said, a terribly wide grin appearing on his face.

The realization hit her like a freight train.

The love god, the pink substance on the fries, the sudden feelings of love...

Robbie stared at her, his grin somehow growing wider as he saw the look on her face. The look of shock, followed by the tears of acceptance. She no longer had any fight in her as she uttered the question.

"O-o-our relationship...our l-love...w-w-was a l-lie?" her voice was trembling as she weakly uttered the words. At that point, Robbie had gotten up. Not her though. She remained on the floor, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

To say she felt cheated and crushed would have been an understatement.

"Yes Tambry! Yes! Let the negative emotions consume you!" as though he was reading her mind, he spoke.

She was barely listening however. She only registered the demonic voice as background noise.

Her body went numb. She remained on the ground, clutching her knees as the tears poured freely from her eyes.

'The love I've felt for the last two years was a lie!.

'I can't believe Mabel tricked me!'.

'I'm such an idiot for believing that our love was real!'

As the thoughts ran through her head, she felt less able to control her own body.

"Let your own emotions be your destruction Tambry!" demon eyes Robbie now looked less like Robbie and more like an actual hell-spawn.

As Robbie Stepped Closer to her, she felt as though the life was being sucked out of her, and as she looked him in his red eye through her tears, a single thought crossed her mind.

'I'm going to die here. I'm sorry friends,'.

The maniacal, distorted laughing of a demon was all that was heard.

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **Oh yeah! I'm back! I hope that the long wait was worth it for you guys. I'm honestly extremely happy with the positive responses that my story has received. It motivates me.**

 **Also, again, I'd like to give a big 'thank you' to Rorscarch for giving me the initial idea for this chapter in one of his/her reviews. Honestly, at the time of publishing the previous chapter, I was almost completely out of ideas for this one. I knew I wanted it to include Robbie, but I didn't know how I was to go about writing the chapter. I couldn't think of a suitable weakness or, "demon", for him to face.**

 **So from the bottom of my heart, thank you Rorscarch.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Review if you've found any errors, and don't forget to favorite the story if you like it!**

 **~Dan**


	15. Important Announcement

**Hello fellow readers!**

 **I have an important announcement to make.**

 **To anyone it may concern, I've decided to start a blog, as an attempt to get more people to read my work!**

 **I will still post my fanfictions right here, on this website, but I will mostly be active on my blog.**

 **To find my blog, you have to enter a website called Tumblr, I'm sure many of you have heard of it.**

 **Once you enter the website, search for my username, DanRider007.**

 **You will find a blog called DanRider007's Fiction Blog. That's it!**

 **I'd appreciate it if you mention the blog to any of your Internet friends who like reading Fanfiction.**

 **Thank you very much!**

 **~Dan.**


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